


Score! (And How To Keep Her Heart)

by NightWriter89



Series: Shooting For Love [2]
Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Character Death, F/F, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Olympics, ice hockey
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-05
Updated: 2020-03-26
Packaged: 2021-02-27 15:41:38
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 23
Words: 112,119
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22129645
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NightWriter89/pseuds/NightWriter89
Summary: Part 2 to 'Shooting For Love'.The British Women's Ice Hockey Team is ready to go for gold at the Winter Olympics at Beijing. The entire world is following them in this historic journey and they are determined to return home with a medal. Emma is dead set on making things right with Regina, while Zelena finds that her family is expanding in more than one way.Victoria hides a secret that will change everything for everyone on the team...
Relationships: Aurora/Mulan (Once Upon a Time), Belle/Red Riding Hood | Ruby/Wicked Witch of the West | Zelena, Evil Queen | Regina Mills/Emma Swan, Henry Mills/Violet
Series: Shooting For Love [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1494926
Comments: 38
Kudos: 118





	1. An Unwelcome Surprise

**Author's Note:**

  * For [starchasm](https://archiveofourown.org/users/starchasm/gifts).



> Hello all!
> 
> As I promised, I present you the first chapter of the second part of 'Shooting For Love', called 'Score! (And How To Keep Her Heart). I will be uploading twice a week, on sunday and wednesday.
> 
> I hope you all enjoy this second part as well, let me know what you think!

The smell of ice wafted through the hallway. Emma Swan stood reminiscing at the edge of the ice rink, taking in the smell and the sight of the smooth ice. The past week had been a crazy rollercoaster of interviews and photoshoots. The madness had started right after the last game had ended. Literally everyone’s phones started blowing up and Regina had been one of the first being asked for interviews, followed closely by Emma. They had a few double interviews and every single one asked if they were an item. Both of them kept denying it and every time Emma said it, her heart ached. If she hadn’t messed up, maybe they would have been ready now to make it public. 

“Oi, slowpoke!” Merida grinned at her as she stepped past her on the ice.

Emma smirked back and followed Merida on the ice to start warming up. At least she and Regina had talked and Emma was sure they were on the way to be friends. Of course, Emma hoped for more, but she could understand if Regina didn’t want anything more. Emma and Merida started skating rounds, waiting for the rest to join them. They had arrived a bit early but all of them were anxious to start training for the Olympics. Emma and Regina had tried to think up a game plan for the first game, it just needed some fine-tuning. They would play Korea first and Emma had found out they were pretty good. Regina thought they would stand a chance since they had grown stronger as well. Emma had to admit, their team had indeed improved. 

“Hey, Emma!” Zelena greeted her as she showed up next to her. 

“Hey,” Emma smirked.

As if they hadn’t just walked to the training facility together. 

“How is August?” Zelena asked tentatively.

Emma sighed, August had called her in distress after he and Zelena had broken up. Emma had found him sitting at the bar, drinking straight from the bottle. He had been a mess and they had talked into the wee hours of the night before he had straightened up a bit and decided it wasn’t his fault. 

“He is fine,” Emma lied, knowing August still was getting over his broken heart. 

Zelena nodded and averted her eyes. “That’s good,” she mumbled and skated off.

“That was a lie, wasn’t it?” Regina asked as she took up Zelena’s spot next to Emma. 

Emma nodded. “She already feels guilty enough,” Emma replied. “And August will be fine, this wasn’t his first rodeo.”

Regina looked up at her sister, skating next to Ruby now. Zelena had come home late that night and had told her with a straight face that she and August had broken up. Zelena had also said that she would always be restless and maybe that she wasn’t meant to settle down. Later, Zelena had confessed that she had bumped into Ruby who had understood her and that she thought that there may be something going on between them. Regina had to admit, Ruby could be the perfect fit for her sister, but Ruby was also going from one lover to the next. 

“Still, it mustn’t be easy for him,” Regina said.

“Nope.”

They continued their warm-up in silence until Emma spoke up. 

“Did you drop by Henry before you left?” Emma asked. 

“Yes, I did,” Regina answered. “He asked for you.”

“I know,” Emma nodded. “I texted him that I wouldn’t be able to come by,” she explained. “Did he say anything about the upcoming surgery?” she asked. 

“Not much,” Regina replied. “I think he still thinks he can get strong enough.”

“Can he?” Emma asked. “What does doctor Hale say?”

“He doesn’t give Henry much of a chance,” Regina sighed. “I don’t know, Emma. I see him trying to breathe over the vent and end up being so exhausted.”

Emma nodded; she had seen him do it as well. He really was determined to avoid the surgery and Emma could understand him. Being on a vent meant more restrictions. 

“Let’s hope he can accept it in the end,” Emma sighed, seeing Regina’s worry. 

Regina just nodded and was about to reply when Killian called them back. Emma spotted Victoria leaning against the boarding. They all huddled up and Victoria stepped forward. 

“This is the real deal, ladies,” she said. “Now all of the world will be watching us and I’ll be damned if we fail.” The team yelled in agreement. “Let’s show the world what we’re made of and let’s kick arse!” she continued and the team responded again in unison. “But, to achieve that, we have to train. We have to get in tip-top shape. So, we’re starting with ten laps,” she ordered. 

A groan went through the team, but everyone geared up and started their laps. Emma followed after Regina, her mind still on Henry. Victoria had taken over this first training from Killian, riding them hard.

It was remarkably quiet in the locker room after the training; everyone had been worked to the bone. 

“I don’t know if I can keep this up if she’s going to lead the trainings from now on,” Ruby complained, stretching her back.

“I’m afraid you have to,” Zelena smirked. “You’re an Olympian now.”

Ruby flipped her off, earning a cheeky wink from Zelena. Emma followed it, frowning, then shot a questioning look at Regina. 

“They may or may not be dating,” Regina clarified with a shrug. “It’s still undetermined.”

Emma nodded, watching the silent interaction between Zelena and Ruby. Emma had to admit, they would be perfect for each other. She knew August would be heartbroken all over again, but on the other hand, he was a grown-up. He had to deal with it. 

“Are you ready?” she asked Regina as she stood up, her muscles groaning in protest. 

“Yeah.” 

Regina stood up as well, hoisting her bag to her shoulder, and followed Emma out of the locker room. Zelena followed closely, Ruby right beside her.

~~~

Emma drove her red Triumph through the streets of London to the hospital. Henry had a difficult surgery ahead of him today and she wanted to be there on time. She hit the brakes before a red light and impatiently waited for the light turn green. Emma knew Regina wouldn’t like it if she appeared on her bike, but she had been running late and what was the use of her bike if she never used it? The light turned green and Emma took off with a roaring engine. She enjoyed the feeling of the wind rushing past her and the thrumming of the engine between her legs. Emma parked her bike near the entrance and spotted Regina waiting for her on the bench next to the entrance. Emma turned off the engine and took off her helmet. It was only then that Regina recognised her and Emma grinned at seeing Regina’s mouth drop in surprise. Regina stood up and walked towards her.

“Is this deathtrap yours?” she asked with a frown.

“It is,” Emma smirked and swung her leg over the back of the motor to stand next to it.

“I didn’t know you had it,” Regina said as her eyes glided over the red body of the bike. Emma thought she spotted a spark of excitement. 

“I had it stored with August 'cause I didn’t have the heart to sell it. So August loaned me the money with the bike as a pledge,” Emma explained.

Regina whistled, impressed, and Emma could see her eyes turned a shade dark. Emma figured Regina may have a thing for women on bikes, so she decided to test out that theory and go meet her on her bike more often. She wondered how long it would take for Regina to jump her bones.

“Ready to go?” Regina asked, pulling Emma out of her thoughts.

Emma nodded and followed Regina into the hospital. Emma smirked, she had seen what she had done to Regina. When they arrived at Henry’s room, they were greeted by a flutter of activity. They walked inside and saw they were about to remove the tube from Henry’s throat. Regina and Emma glanced at each other in wonder when doctor Hale spotted them and motioned for them to come closer. 

“The nurse noticed Henry breathing over his tube,” he explained. “So Henry asked to remove the tube to see if he really can do it.” Regina was about to protest, but doctor Hale stopped her. “We are standing by with a mask and bag to support him if he fails.” 

Regina nodded and looked at her son, who looked back with a hopeful glance in his eyes. 

“Are you sure?” she asked him, stroking his hair. 

One blink was her answer and after taking a deep breath, Regina nodded that they could continue with the procedure. 

“Alright, Henry. Just as we had discussed. Take a deep breath,” doctor Hale said and Henry took a deep breath. “And breath out.” As Henry breathed out, the tube was being pulled out of his throat and Henry started to cough violently. Regina shot forward, supporting his head. They watched him struggle to stop coughing and take a good breath. Finally, with his eyes closed, Henry was breathing on his own. When he noticed he was really doing it, he opened his eyes and looked at his mother and Emma with a big smile. He opened his mouth to say something, but doctor Hale stopped him. “Try not to speak for a while, Henry,” he said. “Your throat will be sore for a couple of days,” he explained. 

Henry nodded and closed his eyes from the exertion. 

“Is it really working?” Emma asked, eyeing the numbers on the display next to Henry’s bed. 

“His oxygen seems to hold,” doctor Hale nodded. “We are going to give him some extra oxygen to help him, but he seems to be doing it on his own,” he smiled. “Well done, Henry,” he added.

Henry opened his eyes and smiled. One of the nurses fitted him with some nasal oxygen, a small tube that blew air into his nose and most of the staff cleared out of the room, leaving only doctor Hale with them.

“It seems I can cancel the surgery then,” he said. Henry raised his thumb and smirked. “We do have to discuss further therapy, but we can do that when you recover from this,” he added. 

“Thank you, doctor,” Regina said with a relieved smiled.

“You’re welcome,” the doctor said and, with a nod, he left the room. 

Both Emma and Regina turned their attention to their son. 

“You stubborn little dragon,” Emma smiled at him. 

Henry just smirked back, still focusing on his breathing. He grabbed his iPad and typed something before turning it so they could read it. 

_“Told you so.”_

Regina chuckled and shook her head. “I’m so proud of you,” she said as she kissed his forehead. 

“Me too,” Emma said and set down next to him.

Henry closed his eyes, his chest rose up and down in a steady rhythm. Regina followed Emma’s example and sat down as well. Their eyes met and Emma could see the relief in them. Emma had to admit, she felt it as well. Their boy didn’t have to be dependent on machines, not yet anyway…

~~~

Hans walked back home from school whistling. Henry had just texted him the good news and he was happy for his friend. Even if there were three years between them, they had hit it off right away. Henry had been exactly what Hans had needed after his adventure with Paddy. Hans hadn’t heard or seen anything from the Irish man and he was glad for it. He wasn’t sure if the police actually had rolled up the entire operation or just arrested the man and he didn’t really care. As long as he was released from them, he was fine with it. He rounded the corner to his house, his mind on Henry. He was wondering when his friend would be allowed to go home. Hans suddenly collided with something soft and strong. He looked up and looked straight into the face of Freddy, Paddy’s wingman. Hans took a step back, and another one, before Freddy grabbed hold of his shoulder. 

“Not so fast, you,” he growled. “Did you think Paddy forgot about you now that he is in jail?” Freddy asked, pushing Hans into the alley where he had come from.

“Let me go,” Hans said bravely, trying to break free from the grip Freddy had on him. “I’ll tell Emma,” he tried in a desperate move. 

“I ain’t afraid of pretty girl,” Freddy said, his face inching close to Hans. “This is only a reminder to you that we are keeping an eye on you,” he added. “Revenge will come when you least expect it.” 

Freddy let go of Hans and disappeared into the shadows. Shaking, Hans leant against the wall. He had thought now that Paddy had been taken into custody, he could leave this behind him. He knew when he started it wasn’t a smart move, but he was desperate. He and Gretel were in a bad place and at the time it seemed like the only solution. Now, looking back at it, he realised it wasn’t the smartest move. Before he had met the Nolan’s, his and Gretel’s future had looked so bleak. He had been so desperate to get them out of the system he had resorted to selling his body. He shook his head, he was never getting rid of them, was he? He pulled out his phone and noticed his hands were shaking. He sent a quick text to Emma to tell her what happened and pushed himself off the wall. With shaking legs, he made his way home. As soon as Mary Margaret saw his face when he stepped into the kitchen, she was by his side.

“What’s wrong?” she asked worriedly, inspecting him for injuries. 

Hans sank into a chair at the kitchen table and swallowed hard to get the lump that was forming in his throat to go down.

“I ran into one of Paddy’s guys,” he told her quietly. After he and Emma had come back, he had told Mary Margaret and David everything. They had been horrified about his stories and Hans had noticed Emma had grown very, very quiet. Later that night, he had heard Mary Margaret question Emma and Emma had said she wasn’t ready to talk about it yet. Hans already suspected Emma had been in the circuit as well, judging by how she talked to Paddy. Hans shuddered at the thought of his big sister being used like _that._ “He told me they’re still watching me,” he added.

“We have to tell the police,” Mary Margaret said concerned. 

“Yes,” Hans nodded. 

“I’ll call the detective.”

Hans nodded and tiredly he watched Mary Margaret grab the phone and dial the number. He listened to her telling the detective what he told her and wished he could just leave all of this behind. To really start over. He knew that was impossible, but you could always wish, right?

Mary Margaret held out the phone to him. “The detective wants to talk to you.” 

Hans nodded, sat up straight, and answered the phone to tell his story all over again.

~~~

August looked up when Emma entered Woody’s. He stopped refilling the racks with clean glasses and looked up at her. 

“Hey August,” Emma greeted him with a tired smile.

“Hello stranger,” he greeted back. “How is Henry?”

“Getting stronger every day,” Emma said, her eyes lit up a bit. 

“Wanna share a drink?” August proposed. 

For a moment, Emma looked longingly at the stairs, knowing her bed was waiting. Then she looked back at August and realised she had been neglecting him these past weeks. 

“Sure, why not,” she gave in and sat down at the bar.

August smirked and poured her her favourite drink. He poured himself a brandy and set next to her. They enjoyed each other’s company in silence for a while, until August cleared his throat. 

“So, I had a revelation,” he started, staring hard at his drink.

Emma looked up at him, tearing her thoughts away from Regina and Henry. “Oh?”

“Maybe it was my fault when Zelena and I broke up,” he started. 

“How do you figure that?” Emma asked frowning. 

“She told me I hadn’t satisfied her in a while,” he tried to explain. “Sexually and I think emotionally. I think that I wanted her to change subconsciously and that’s why she ran. I mean, I knew she’s a free spirit and I tried to tie her down. I’m such an idiot,” August suddenly exploded. 

“Hey, hey,” Emma tried to get his attention. “You’re not to blame for everything. She had a part in this too,” she reminded him, even though she had seen how controlling he had been with her sometimes. Emma understood why Zelena had broken it off with him, they were just not meant for each other. “But yes, you knew what you were getting yourself into,” she added. 

“Is she happy?” he asked suddenly, still staring at his drink.

Emma bit down on her lip and nodded. “Yes,” she finally said.

August lifted his glass to his lips. “That’s all I want for her,” he said before he emptied his glass and set it down with a clang. “I really loved her,” he added with a small voice.

“I know you did,” Emma said and wrapped her arm around his shoulders. “You will find the perfect girl for you,” she told him.

“You think?” he asked. 

“I’m positive,” she nodded and emptied her glass as well. 

“Since when are you into ‘true love’ and that shit?” August asked, raising an eyebrow. Emma smirked mysteriously and stretched over the bar to grab the bottle of whiskey. August’s mouth dropped a bit in realisation. “You and Regina...” he stuttered. “You two are back together?” 

Emma shook her head and refilled their glasses. “No. Not yet anyway,” she said, with a hint of sadness in her voice. “But we talked. And we’re back to being friends.”

“That’s what I call progress, partner,” August grinned and lifted his glass. Emma met his and they clinked. 

“It is,” Emma smirked, her mind on how Regina had stared when she saw her on her bike. “Is there anything you need me to look at before I leave for Beijing?” she asked. 

“Ah, yes,” August nodded and stood up to get some paperwork from his office. 

Emma looked after him, realising she was going to miss it here when she would be away for the Olympics. She would have never dreamed of going back and this was the first time she actually was thinking about it. This was something really big and she was only realising it now. No matter the outcome, the British team was going to write history and she was going to be a part of it. Emma was glad she had pushed through and pursued the spot on the national team, despite Victoria being a part of it as well. When she came to think about it, Victoria had sounded sincere when she apologised. Yet Emma couldn’t find it in her heart to forgive her. August came back and dropped a shitload of papers in front of her. Emma lifted her eyebrows at the sight of it and August snorted as he pulled it back. 

“Just kidding,” he smirked. “I only need you to sign this.”

He slid her contract under her nose and handed her a pen. Emma smirked and signed the contract. 

~~~

It was a few days later when Emma parked her bike in front of the hospital. She smirked when she spotted Regina waiting for her. Emma suspected Regina purposely arrived before her so she could admire her on the red bike. Emma made a show of parking the bike and getting off it. She pulled off her helmet and tossed her hair to and fro and Emma smirked when she saw Regina was practically drooling. 

“Hi,” Emma said when she stood before Regina. She watched as Regina’s eyes roved over her body and up to the heights of her boobs. “My eyes are up here,” she teased. 

“Shut up,” Regina replied, turning beet red. Emma’s smirked grew as Regina walked out before her into the hospital. It gave Emma plenty of time to check out the brunette’s ass that swayed before her. “See anything you like?” Regina threw over her shoulder and now it was Emma’s turn to turn red. Emma came walking next to Regina. 

“Sorry,” she said. 

Regina looked aside and smirked. “Don’t be.”

Surprised, Emma followed into Henry’s room. Was Regina flirting with her again? Emma really liked where this _friendship_ was going. Henry sat in bed and was relieved of most of his machines. He only had an IV inserted in his arm. 

“Mom! Emma!” he said excitedly. 

“Hello my prince,” Regina greeted him and gave him a kiss. “How are you?” she asked. 

“Good,” Henry smiled. “I’m allowed back in my chair today,” he told them excitedly. 

Over the past few days, he had grown stronger. He had started a new kind of therapy to train his lungs and it was already proving to be working. He hardly needed the extra oxygen anymore. 

“That’s good news!” Emma exclaimed and gave him a kiss as well. 

“Yes! And I made a new vlog, I’m editing now,” he enthusiastically told them. “Hans helped me,” he added, looking apologetically at Emma. 

“That’s really sweet of him,” Emma smiled at him. 

Henry beamed back at her and showed her what he had already put together. They were so engrossed in it, they didn’t notice the nurse come in. 

“Hello,” she greeted them. 

“Oh, hi!” Emma looked up from the screen. 

“Henry, are you ready to go in your chair?” she asked. 

“I was born ready,” he smirked. 

Regina stood up to make room for his wheelchair and they all watched as Henry tried to make the transfer from his bed to his wheelchair. He managed to sit upright, but his arms wouldn’t support him to make the actual transfer. The nurse was about to help him, but Regina stopped her. She turned to face Henry. 

“Do you need a hand?” she asked him gently.

Henry looked up with tears in his eyes, fearing that if he couldn’t make the transfer, he also couldn’t drive his wheelchair. 

“Not yet,” he said through gritted teeth. 

Regina nodded and let him try again. Henry strained his muscles and managed to push himself a bit towards his chair, but it wasn’t enough. He collapsed against his pillows, turning his face away so his mother wouldn’t see him cry. 

“Hey, it’s okay,” Emma soothed and Henry cursed softly. He had forgotten she was here too. “Want us to help you?”

He nodded and Emma glanced at Regina. Regina nodded and helped Henry in his chair. She looked at him as he wiped away his tears. 

“Tell me if this is too hard to do right now,” she said to him.

“I need to know, mom,” he replied. “I do feel I’m weaker than before I went to the hospital.”

Regina nodded and stepped aside. Henry placed his hands at the rims and pushed. Slowly, but surely his wheelchair started rolling. But after three more pushes, Henry’s arms faltered and he almost fell forward. Regina rushed to be at his side. Henry pushed himself up and sighed deeply. Regina knelt next to him, looking up at him. 

“Talk to me,” she asked him. 

“I… I can’t do it anymore,” he stammered. 

Emma rushed forward as well, kneeling on the other side of him. 

“Are you okay?” she asked. 

Henry shook his head, tears were forming in his eyes. “No, not really,” he said honestly. “Can you give me a minute?” he asked.

Both Emma and Regina nodded. They stood up and left, reluctantly, to give him space. Regina immediately started pacing. 

“What if he can’t drive his wheelchair?” she asked. “What if he can’t ever do that?”

“Then there are electric wheelchairs,” Emma offered. 

Regina stood still and looked up at Emma. “He hates those,” she whispered.

“I know, but he said it himself that he felt he'd lost strength,” Emma reasoned. 

Regina sunk into the chair next to Emma. “He is not going to like this,” she sighed.

“I think he saw it coming,” Emma said.

Regina only nodded and was about to reply when the nurse came out of his room. “Henry is asking for you,” she said to them.

“Thank you,” Regina said and stood up. 

Emma followed her. She had seen the devastated look on Henry’s face and knew he had realised he hadn’t the strength to push his wheelchair anymore. She swallowed as she saw him laying defeated in his bed, his wheelchair disregarded in a corner. 

“Are you okay?” Emma asked softly as she sat next to him.

“Not really,” Henry admitted. “The nurse is arranging for me to see the physical therapist to see if I need an electric wheelchair,” he said, blinking hard. 

“I’m sorry,” Emma offered. 

“Thanks,” Henry smiled. “I knew this day would come but I didn’t know it had to come this soon.”

Regina sat down next to him as well and looked up at him. “We will figure it out,” she said. 

Henry nodded; he knew he had too…

~~~

Emma knocked on Hans’ door and waited for him to give her permission to enter. She found him sitting at his desk studying. 

“Hey,” she said as she stood in the doorway.

Hans turned around to face her and smiled a sad smile. “Hi.”

Emma took that as a sign she could enter and she closed the door behind her. “Sorry I couldn’t come sooner,” she said guiltily.

“It’s okay. I know you’re busy and with Henry a lot,” he said and motioned for her to sit on his bed.

Emma said down and looked up at him.

“How are you?” she asked.

“Okay, I guess,” Hans shrugged, avoiding her eyes. 

“I heard they found you?” she pushed through.

Hans nodded, remembering how scared he had been. “They did.”

“I’m sorry,” Emma offered.

“It’s not your fault,” Hans said. “I should have never gotten involved with them,” he added softly. 

Hans expected judgment from Emma, as he had seen in the eyes of Mary Margaret and David, but all he found was understanding in Emma’s eyes. 

“Did I ever tell you how I know Paddy?” Emma asked. 

“No,” Hans said and was about to say she didn’t need to tell him when Emma started to tell a part of her story. 

“I was a foster child, just like you and your sister. I never knew who my parents were,” she started. “When I grew older, I knew I was never going to be adopted. I was… seven when I first got in contact with Paddy. He offered me a sweet deal, but I refused at first, still under the impression I could get adopted. After a bad foster family, I turned to Paddy. He offered me a lot of money and I took it. From that moment on, I worked for him. I kept working for him even when I got in contact with David and Mary Margaret, he had me completely wrapped in his web. There was no way I could escape him. That was until I got scouted and I was able to pay the debt to Paddy. He didn’t see a way to keep me tied down as I grew famous,” Emma told him. “When I worked for him, I had to do unspeakable things I'd rather not think about,” she added softly. 

“Shit,” Hans breathed. 

“That’s why he is scared of me,” Emma said. “I have the power to expose him.”

“Why haven’t you before?” Hans asked curiously.

“Because I wanted to forget that part of my life,” Emma admitted. “I didn’t think about the children he was wrapping in his web until I met you,” she said. “I recognised the signs, the smell. I should have acted sooner,” she shook her head regretful.

“It’s not your fault,” Hans said. “If Paddy hadn’t been there, there would have been someone else,” he tried to reassure her.

“I know, but still,” Emma sighed. “That’s why I need to get you out of there.”

“I think you got to me in time,” Hans said. “My debt to him isn’t that high. I think I can even pay him off with the money I make as an assistant coach,” he mused.

“You’re not paying him a penny,” Emma warned him.

“But if I don’t, he still owns me,” Hans protested. 

“He doesn’t,” Emma said. “He and his gang will pay for what they’ve done to you.”

Hans shook his head. “I think he has people all over the city,” he said defeated. 

“Hans, he will leave you alone,” Emma promised him. “His entire gang will be rolled up by now.”

“You think?” he asked. 

“I do,” Emma nodded. “Because I told the detective everything I know.”

“You did?” Hans asked incredulously.

“I did. I had too.”

“Thank you,” he said, trying not to cry.

Emma stood up and hugged him. “It’s over now,” she promised him.

Hans held on to her as if his life depended on it. “Thank you,” he repeated in a whisper.

Would he really be able to start his new life now? 

~~~

Zelena left the office of doctor Whale, the team doctor, feeling confident. Before the Olympics, they all had to do a physical examination, mostly to test for drugs. Zelena understood that and knew she would pass with flying colours. She was about to leave when doctor Whale called her back in. Zelena frowned and sat down in front of his desk.

“Zelena,” he started and looked up at her, laying down the paperwork. “I looked at your blood-work and I discovered something,” he said.

“What did you find?” Zelena asked, she was sure he wouldn’t find any drugs, she stayed far away from that.

“Do you know you’re pregnant?”

Zelena’s mouth dropped in surprise…


	2. Doubts

Henry’s new wheelchair had arrived sooner than any of them expected. He'd been allowed to go home two weeks after he went off the vent, but his new electric wheelchair hadn’t arrived yet so Regina, Zelena, Emma and Amanda had to push him everywhere he wanted to go and Henry had started to get tired of it. He wanted his freedom back.  
Today was the day his new wheelchair arrived and, excited and anxious, Henry watched as the mechanic drove it into the house. It was a black wheelchair with red accents and it looked pretty quick. The big wheel was upfront, the small wheels at the back. The mechanic explained this meant that his turning circle was smaller. Henry liked that and he wondered how long it would take for him to get used to it. He looked up and saw Emma was filming everything for the vlog. The mechanic finished fine-tuning the wheelchair and looked up at Henry.

“He is ready for you,” he said with a smile. “Hop on in it.”

Regina helped Henry transfer as he really didn’t have the strength anymore. Henry was still struggling with that idea, he was so used to at least be able to take care of himself. He even needed help to go to the bathroom now. It had been embarrassing at first, but he was gradually getting used to it. He was also glad they had already hired someone to take care of him because his care had become more demanding since he left the hospital.

Henry settled into his new wheelchair and the mechanic quickly explained what all the buttons were for. The mechanic adjusted the height of the feet rests and Henry already felt comfortable in it. With a smirk, he turned on the chair and carefully pushed the joystick. The chair jerked forward and, scared, Henry let go of the joystick.

“Is he supposed to do that?” he asked the mechanic, remembering how his classmates drove away smoothly.

“Yes, you only need to get used to its movements,” the mechanic explained.

Henry nodded and tried again. This time it went a bit smoother and soon enough he dared turning. His smile grew when he realised how much more freedom he had now. He drove to his room and back, still smiling widely.

“This is pretty amazing,” he admitted.

“That’s great, dear,” Regina said, but Henry could see the sadness in her eyes.

He swallowed. He also realised how badly he had deteriorated. He had cried a lot about it in the hospital when he was alone and he still had a hard time accepting it. He had talked about his worries in his vlog and he had gotten a lot of comforting comments from his followers.

“Do you have any questions?” the mechanic asked, pulling him out of his thoughts. “Are you sitting comfortably?” he asked.

“I think so,” Henry said. “Maybe, could you put the footrest a bit higher? I feel like scooting out of my chair.”

“Of course,” the mechanic nodded and adjusted them. “How is that?” he asked.

“Better. I can push back with my legs now,” Henry answered.

After a final check-up, the mechanic told him he could call anytime if there was something or if he had questions and said goodbye.

“Can I go try it out outside, mom?” he asked.

“Uh, sure,” Regina replied. “But I’d rather you not go alone,” she added.

“I can go with him,” Zelena offered.

“Okay,” Regina nodded and Henry and Zelena left the house.

Emma came walking back into the house, she had handed the camera to Zelena. She spotted Regina sitting at the kitchen island and walked up to her.

“How are you?” Emma asked.

Regina looked up and Emma saw the sadness and grief in her eyes. “I don’t know,” Regina chocked.

Emma sat down next to her and without saying anything, she pulled Regina into a hug. Regina finally relaxed after what seemed weeks into Emma’s arms. Even after what happened between them, Regina felt safe with Emma. Emma had been the one constant during Henry’s hospital stay and Regina had yet to express to the blonde how grateful she was for that.

Regina moved a bit so she could look up to Emma. “Thank you,” she said.

“You’re welcome,” Emma smiled that cheeky smile of hers.

“No, I mean—” Regina sat up straight, grabbing Emma’s hands. “Thanks for everything. Thank you for being with us in the hospital,” she said, staring at their intertwined hands. “Thank you for being there during the darkest hours.”

Emma lifted Regina's head with her finger so she could look her in the eye. “You’re welcome,” she said again, but without the smile. “I wouldn’t have wanted to be anywhere else.”

Regina smiled, thankful, and was about to hug Emma again when Henry and Zelena came busting into the kitchen, both laughing.

“I’ve got some great footage,” Zelena smiled as she handed Emma the camera.

“This chair is really amazing,” Henry beamed.

“I’m so glad, baby,” Regina said as she slipped off her chair.

“Are you okay?” Henry asked, frowning at Regina’s serious face.

“I am now,” Regina smiled at him.

“Good,” Henry smiled. “I’m hungry. What are we having for dinner?” he asked.

“How about we order take out?” Regina suggested.

“Really? Awesome!” Henry drove to the cabinet where they stored the take out menus. “Emma, come help!”

Emma gave Regina one last investigating look and, after a nod from Regina, she slipped off the chair and walked over to Henry to help him pick something out.

“You really okay?” Zelena asked, eyeing her sister.

“I am,” Regina nodded and gave her sister a convincing smile.

With the help of her son, sister, and Emma, she really would be okay. Regina didn’t know how it would pan out between her and Emma, but there was no doubt in her mind Emma was a part of the family now…

~~~

Emma had her eyes on the puck as Ariel stormed towards her. Emma stood as still as she could before she attacked. When Ariel was just a few inches away from her, Emma jumped forward and stole the puck. She zigzagged between the opposite players and saw Zelena jump in place behind her out of the corner of her eye. Emma faked a stop before Belle and passed the puck between her legs to Zelena. Emma fell back and Zelena attempted to score with a knuckle puck, Belle caught it in her glove with a big smile.

“How!?” Zelena exclaimed. “No one ever has stopped my knuckle puck,” she complained.

“Because I’m good,” Belle smirked and dropped the puck to the ice.

“Beginner's luck,” Zelena grumbled and skated away.

Ruby skated next to her and patted her on the shoulder. “You’ll get her next time,” she said.

“I better,” Zelena replied.

They were about to start playing again when Victoria blew the whistle. “Time to hit the shower, ladies,” she called over the ice. “Don’t forget, we have one more training before we leave for Beijing,” she reminded them.

Regina looked worriedly at her sister, Zelena was never this fierce towards her teammates. “What’s wrong with you?” she asked.

“Nothing,” Zelena grumbled.

Regina stopped Zelena right before they would step off the ice. She waited impatiently for everyone to disappear into the locker room. “Don’t lie, Zee,” she said when everyone was gone. “I know you too well. Now, spill,” she demanded, scrutinising Zelena’s face.

Zelena tried to keep up her façade, but she knew she would lose eventually. “Fine,” she sighed. “Remember we all had to do a physical with doctor Whale?” she asked.

“Yes,” Regina nodded. “Did he try something with you?” Regina asked, her hand already balled in a fist. “I knew it, I always thought he was a slimeball.”

Zelena chuckled and put her hand on Regina’s fist. “He didn’t try anything,” she reassured her sister. “He told me I’m pregnant,” she whispered.

Perplexed, Regina looked at Zelena. “What?”

“Yeah, that,” Zelena sighed and looked down.

“Is it August’s?” Regina asked.

“Who else?” Zelena replied. “Ruby?” she added sarcastically.

“Shit,” Regina swore. “Are you… What are you going to do?” she asked.

“I don’t know,” Zelena admitted. “I really don’t know.”

“Did he clear you for the Olympics?” Regina asked.

“Yeah, as long as I tell Belfrey,” Zelena replied.

“Don’t,” Regina advised.

“What? Why not?” Zelena asked surprised.

“Remember what happened with Emma?” Regina reminded her, her eyes ablaze.

“Yeah, but I have to,” Zelena said panicking.

“We’ll figure it out,” Regina sight and stepped off the ice. “Now come before Emma starts looking for us.”

Zelena nodded and followed her sister inside, remembering the fall out between Emma and Regina. Emma had told her later what exactly had happened between her and Victoria and Zelena really didn’t want Victoria to make the choice for her.

~~~

Henry was officially bored. He had decided to stay at home for at least another week because he didn’t feel fully recovered yet. But now he was bored: his mother and aunt were both out for training and he already had edited his newest vlog and put it up online. He had just had dinner and he really didn’t feel like watching a movie or reading a comic. On his desk lay a list of books he needed to read for English but he didn’t feel up to it. He didn’t have most of the books and he needed to go to the library to get them. Looking at the list made his sense of responsibility activate and, sighing, he grabbed the list with him before he went to search for Amanda. He found her in the living room, writing down the paperwork for his care.

“Hey,” he said. “Wanna take a break from that?” he nodded at the paperwork.

“Yes, please,” Amanda sighed and put down her pencil. “Where do you want to go?” she asked.

“Library, I need some books for school,” Henry explained, showing her the list.

Amanda looked it over and nodded.

“I have a few of these at home,” she said. “I can bring them tomorrow?” she looked up at him.

“That would be great,” Henry beamed. “Which one do you have?” he asked. Amanda pointed at them and Henry nodded. “Then I only need to get three from the library,” he said.

“Great. Let’s go.”

Amanda helped him in his jacket and locked the door behind them. It was a short walk to the library, so they decided to leave the car at home.

“Thanks for coming with me,” Henry said as he looked up at Amanda. “I’m still getting used to the chair,” he added.

“How are you coping with that?” Amanda asked.

“Okay, I guess,” Henry shrugged, not really wanting to dig too deep.

“Okay?” Amanda prodded, she had known Henry for quite some time now and she knew how he used to resent an electric chair.

Henry took a deep breath, he knew he couldn’t keep his feelings hidden from her. She knew him too well for that.

“The chair is really okay,” Henry started. “It’s just hard to accept how fast I deteriorated,” he added. “It hurts. I used to be able to lift my arms while holding stuff. I can’t do that anymore. I need help with everything,” he unloaded in a rapid flow. “I even can’t go to the bathroom on my own.”

Amanda listened to him and waited for him to finish his rant. She understood him. She had taken care of children with degenerative diseases for over 20 years now and it kept hurting to see them get worse. Henry was one of the strongest persons she ever encountered and it hurt her to see him like this. Just before they reached the library, she stopped him and knelt next to his chair.

“It sucks, and you are allowed to be angry at that,” she told him. “It is unfair and hard, but there’s nothing you can do about it. It’s only natural to be sad about that and angry and please, express that. But at some point, you’ll feel you have moved on. I’m not saying it will get easier, because it will not, but you will brave it. As you know, I’ve been doing this kind of job for quite some time now, and you are one of the strongest I’ve ever seen. Don’t let anger ruin that for you,” she said sincerely.

“So I am allowed to be angry?” Henry asked, sniffing.

“Of course,” Amanda nodded. “But after that, you go on.”

Henry nodded; he wasn’t planning on staying angry very long. It just felt all so overwhelming now. He suspected life would turn somewhat normal when he went back to school and got back into the rhythm of things. Yet this anger he felt was so huge and he was afraid it would never go away. Then he remembered the Hulk, who, even if he got mad, always turned back into dr. Brenner. Sometimes it took a few years, but he would always transform.

“Just like the Hulk,” he murmured.

Amanda nodded. “Just like the Hulk.”

Henry smirked, he had gotten Amanda into Marvel as well and now she was almost as huge a fan as he was. “Let’s get us some books.”

Henry nodded and led the way into the library. He was soon engrossed in the books and had found the ones he was looking for fairly quickly. He drove into the comic book section and spotted a girl reading at a table. She had her head buried in a volume of Captain Marvel and he smiled. A fellow Marvel fan. As he strolled past the comics, he kept half an eye on her, but she didn’t look up.

“Henry, are you ready?”

Amanda appeared from behind the book racks and, disappointed, Henry nodded. Before he drove off, he glanced at the girl one last time, but she was gone. Frowning, Henry drove forward to see if he could spot her, but she was really gone.

“Let’s go,” he sighed and went to check out his books.

“No comics?” Amanda asked.

“I already have them,” Henry deadpanned.

“Of course you do,” Amanda smirked. Henry smirked back and soon they were on their way back home. “Who was that girl?” she asked suddenly.

Henry tried not to turn beet red but failed miserably. “What girl?” he wheezed.

“That girl that was reading Captain Marvel,” Amanda laughed.

“Really?” Henry asked. “Didn't see her,” he hastily added.

“Uhuh, sure,” Amanda laughed and unlocked the front door. Henry raced past her to his room, his face still beet red. “Don’t let me catch you doing the nasty!” Amanda called after him.

Her only reply was the slamming of his door. Chuckling, Amanda retreated back to the paperwork…

~~~

Emma once again found herself in the backseat of the car. They were heading towards Heathrow airport and she noticed it was eerily quiet between the sisters in the front. She leant forward and looked inquisitive at them.

“What’s wrong?” she asked.

Zelena practically jumped against the roof and Regina only glanced over her shoulder.

“Nothing,” she said. “Why?”

“Because this is the first time it’s been so quiet between the two of you,” Emma nodded.

“Just tired from the training,” Zelena replied as nonchalantly as she could.

Emma once again glanced between the sisters and noticed the tension hanging thickly in the car.

“Nope, that’s not it,” she shook her head. “Something is definitely up.”

Emma watched as Regina and Zelena exchanged glances. Emma figured they had a little psychic-twin-connection and she let them try and come up with good excuses. She would probably blow right through it, she knew when people lied. It was kind of a gift of hers. She watched as Zelena shrugged and sighed in defeat. Emma perked up, would they actually go for the truth right away? She was slightly disappointed, she liked using her gift.

“I’m pregnant,” Zelena dropped the bomb.

Emma’s mouth dropped in surprise and stared at Zelena.

“That’s a very elegant look, Swan,” Regina commented as she looked in the rearview mirror.

Emma closed her mouth but kept looking at Zelena. “You’re kidding.”

“Nope,” Zelena replied decisively. “I wish I were.”

“Shit,” Emma murmured. "August's?” she asked.

“Why does everyone keep asking that?” Zelena blew up. “Of course it’s August's!”

“Who knows?” Emma asked.

“Just you and Regina.”

“Shit,” Emma repeated.

“Very helpful,” Regina said, looking in the rearview mirror again.

For a moment Emma got swept back to the moment she had been in the car with Regina exactly like this, but Regina’s eyes had looked so different then. Now they were hard and cold. Emma preferred the version where they were soft and warm.

“Sorry,” Emma said. “I’m a bit overwhelmed with this news,” she explained.

“We all are,” Regina replied and as Emma looked up she saw Regina’s eyes had softened.

Emma realised Regina mustn’t have known for long either. She thought back to the moment she had found out she had been pregnant and remembered how scared she had been. She could only imagine how Zelena must be feeling now.

“First things first,” Emma said and scooted back forward so her head was in between the sisters. “Does Victoria know?”

Zelena shook her head. “But if I don’t tell her, Whale will.”

Emma nodded. “I’ll talk to him, have him keep it quiet,” she said, she and Whale went back a long time. “How far along are you?” she asked.

“Only a few weeks,” Zelena replied.

“And did Whale clear you for the Olympics?” Emma prodded further.

“Only if I told Victoria,” Zelena shrugged.

“That’s a yes,” Emma nodded and frowned. “Are you planning on telling August?” Emma then asked softly.

“I kinda have to, don’t I?” Zelena said. She did not look forward to that conversation.

“Yeah,” Emma nodded.

“Unless I don’t keep it.”

Both Emma and Regina whipped their heads to Zelena.

“What?” Regina breathed.

“All the problems, Whale, Victoria, August, would disappear then,” Zelena reasoned.

Both Emma and Regina were flabbergasted at that statement.

“You’ve got to be kidding me,” Regina whispered.

Zelena looked them uncertain, the idea had just rolled out of her mouth. She hadn’t even thought properly about it, but it seemed like the only solution here, right?

~~~

Whistling, Ruby walked into the bookstore. She greeted her grandmother who was standing behind the counter.

“Oh, Ruby?” her grandmother called her back.

“Yeah?” Ruby asked, turning around to face her grandmother.

“There’s someone here to see you,” she said as she pointed down the alley.

Ruby nodded and walked into the fantasy alley. At the back, she spotted a small figure sitting on of the lazy boys reading a book. Ruby eyed her for a moment and sat down in the window sill next to her. She folded her legs up to her chest and watch the girl read for a few moments.

“Hey,” she finally said.

Belle looked up from her book, her eyes still a bit glazed over. They cleared as soon as she spotted Ruby sitting next to her.

“Hi,” Belle replied and closed the book.

“Granny told me you were looking for me,” Ruby said.

Belle nodded and diverted her eyes. “I saw you flirting with Zelena,” she said softly.

Ruby swallowed at the hurt in her voice and realised what she had done. “Shit,” she murmured.

“Are you two together?” Belle asked, looking up.

Ruby bit down on her upper lip. She had no idea what she and Zelena were doing. A couple of days ago it had looked like it would turn out to be something serious, but Zelena had been so distant during the training. Ruby wasn’t used to be on the receiving end of such a relationship and she only realised now how painful that was.

“I don’t know,” Ruby replied honestly. “We haven’t discussed that.”

Belle nodded and looked away. “So, you dancing with me and telling me you like me. What was that?” she asked softly.

Ruby knew this was why Belle had come. Belle had gotten a hint of hope and Ruby felt stupid for doing that to the sweet girl. Belle deserved someone soft and kind, not someone like her.

“I do like you, Belle,” Ruby started. “But not like that.”

Ruby watched as Belle fought her tears and Ruby jumped out of the window sill and knelt next to the girl. She hesitated for a second before she placed her hand on Belle’s shoulder.

“I knew it was too good to be true,” Belle said.

“I’m sorry,” Ruby said and really meant it. “I did like dancing with you,” she added, hoping to console the girl a bit.

“Even when I stepped on your toes?” Belle asked with a chuckle.

“Especially then,” Ruby replied. “Look, I wouldn’t be good for you. There is someone out there for you.”

Now Belle looked up and her eyes shone with unshed tears. “You really think so?” she asked.

“I do.”

“Thank you,” Belle said.

Ruby helped her stand up and hugged her. “Do you want to be friends?” Ruby asked. “Because I would really like that.”

Belle nodded against her shoulder, grabbing tightly onto Ruby. “I do.”

A genuine smile appeared on Ruby’s face, she hadn’t realised how much she enjoyed having Belle around.

“Let’s grab a coffee,” Ruby suggested.

“Deal,” Belle smiled. “I first need to ring this off,” she said sheepishly as she held up the book she was holding.

Ruby glanced at the title and smirked as she saw it was Alice from Christina Henry.

“Let’s go.”

Ruby grabbed her hand and together they walked to the counter.

~~~

The red Triumph Trident parked before Regina’s house. Emma had received an alarming text from Henry and she had jumped on her bike immediately. Henry was already waiting for her at the porch.

“Thanks for coming,” he said. “I can’t convince her,” he added.

“Okay,” Emma nodded. “Thanks for the text.”

Emma walked into the house, finding Regina sitting at the kitchen island. Regina looked up surprised when Emma’s helmet landed next to her.

“Emma? What are you doing here?” she asked surprised.

“Henry told me you’re thinking about not going to the Olympics?” Emma bluntly asked.

“I…” Regina started and glanced at Henry. “We’ll talk later, mister,” she warned him.

“Is it true?” Emma asked.

Regina looked back at Emma. “I’m just… considering it. I don’t want to leave Henry now that he is sick.”

“Mom, for the hundredth time, I’m fine. I’m going back to school next week,” Henry protested. “This is something big and I want you to be a part of it,” he argued.

“But what if you decline?” Regina asked.

“Amanda will take good care of me, mom,” Henry said. “And I won’t decline, I promise.”

“You can’t promise that,” Regina cried.

“Regina, look at me,” Emma urged. “Henry will be fine, the doctor declared him healthy. His lungs are improving, you’ve seen it yourself.”

“I know, but Beijing is so far away,” Regina argued.

“I know, but Henry is right. This is something big,” Emma said.

“I knooow,” Regina whined as she dropped her head on her hands. “But can you blame me for wanting to stay with my son?” she asked.

“No, I’m having a hard time with it too,” Emma admitted.

“See, I’m not the only one,” Regina said as she glanced at Henry.

Henry rolled his eyes and looked up at his mother. “Look, I know you are worried about me. I get that. But I’ll be fine. The teachers are keeping an eye on me and Amanda will be there all the time. I feel stronger, really,” he said. “I want you to go do this. Don’t let my disability disable you.”

Regina looked at him, still not completely convinced. Emma looked up from the wisdom that came out of her son.

“Henry, can you give your mom and me a moment?” Emma asked.

“Sure.”

Henry drove away and Emma and Regina were alone.

“Damn, that kid is wise,” she said and climbed on one of the chairs.

“I know,” Regina sighed and looked up at Emma. “I can’t bear the thought that something happens when we are away,” she confided.

“I know, I feel the same,” Emma nodded. “But what if nothing happens and you stayed home? Then you missed one of your biggest moments,” she said.

“Logically, I know that,” Regina said. “But my mother’s heart doesn’t think like that.”

Emma was about to reply when Zelena entered. “Hey, Emma. What brings you here?” she asked as she dropped her stuff.

“Your sister,” Emma replied dryly.

“Oh,” Zelena stared wide-eyed at the both of them. “Did I interrupt a make-out session?” she asked.

“Will you shut up?” Regina grumbled. “I… am having second thoughts about going to the Olympics,” she confessed.

“What?” Zelena reacted surprised. “Why?”

“Because I don’t want to leave Henry alone,” Regina sighed.

“And I told her a thousand times I’m fine!” Henry called from his room.

“See?” Zelena said. “If the kid says he’s fine, then he’s fine.”

“But he can’t promise he will be in two weeks,” Regina called back.

Emma snickered at the bickering and shook her head.

“Look, if things really do go sideways, you can always fly back,” Emma said.

“But what if he deteriorates too quickly?” Regina breathed.

Emma grabbed Regina’s hands and forced her to look her in the eyes. “I can’t promise it, but he will be fine. He is so strong, Regina.”

“He got that from you,” Regina whispered.

Emma melted at that, it was the first time Regina actually acknowledged Emma as Henry’s mother.

“I think he got it from both of us,” Emma replied.

Regina nodded and, suddenly tired, she leant on Emma’s shoulder. Emma wrapped her arms around Regina’s waist and pulled her against her. Emma felt Regina’s arms snake around her shoulders and Emma inhaled the scent of Regina’s hair. Somewhere in the back of her mind, she registered they were alone. Zelena probably went to check on Henry to give them some privacy.

“I’m so scared of losing him,” Regina whispered against Emma’s hair.

“Me too,” Emma replied softly and thought of how quick Henry and Regina had made a home in her heart.

Regina looked up and wiped away her tears. “But all of you are right,” she said. “I’m not letting this fear cripple me and I'm trusting in the universe not to take away my boy. I’m going to Beijing,” she added.

Emma smiled at her and, in a dash of bravery, kissed Regina. She had almost forgotten how Regina’s lips felt against hers. Regina didn’t react immediately but soon melted against Emma. Regina’s hand snaked up into her hair to pull her closer and Emma let her hands roam over Regina’s back. Suddenly, the contact was gone and Emma avoided Regina’s eyes.

“I’m sorry,” she said.

“Don’t be.”

Surprised, Emma looked up to find Regina looking at her with lust-filled eyes.

“I missed that.”


	3. The Adventure Begins

The week that followed was hectic. Preparations needed to be made and practise was not postponed as the entire team had hoped. Exhausted, Emma was changing in the locker room. Regina, Zelena, and she had decided to fly back to London the same evening. Regina had managed to convince Henry to stay home for one more week and he had agreed without much trouble. Emma had made sure she had cleared her schedule as much as possible so she could spent time with her family and Henry. Even though they would be gone for only 16 days, she would miss them terribly.  
She had to admit, she had not missed this part about going to the Olympics. When she was younger, it had been easier. She had been focused solely on her sport and hadn’t had many friends outside the ice rink. Now she did — which reminded her, she needed to plan a day with August.

“Emma.” Ariel pulled her out of her thoughts. “You’ve been to the Olympics before,” she said. “How was it? I mean, we've all seen it on TV, but how is it in real life?” she asked curiously.

Emma saw the rest was also listening in and she needed to remind herself that this was a first time thing for them.

“It’s overwhelming at first,” Emma tried to explain the feeling, trying to call back how she’d felt the first time. “There are athletes from all over the world and it’s crazy,” she continued. “Skating in front of such a huge audience is impressive. I knew I wanted to run the first time,” she chuckled.

“Even bigger than here?” Ella asked.

“Definitely,” Emma nodded. “And don’t forget all the people who are watching us from home,” she added. “But you’ll get used to it. As soon as you start doing what you went there to do, you’re focused. Everything falls away and you are one with your sport. It’s really amazing,” she continued.

“Damn,” Merida whispered.

“I can’t wait to get there,” Mulan smiled widely.

“Me neither,” Aurora agreed.

Emma noted the two of them had grown closer and she smiled when she saw Aurora grab Mulan’s hand, trying to hide it behind their bodies. Emma wished them all the best, she saw how Aurora’s face lit up at the contact.

“Are you ready to go?” Regina asked next to her, seeing Emma’s stare.

“Yeah.” Emma grabbed her stuff and stood up. “Guess I’ll see you all at the airport on Thursday,” she said.

Several people voiced their agreement and Emma, Regina, and Zelena walked out of the locker room.

“They are cute,” Regina said, she knew Emma knew she meant Mulan and Aurora.

“Yeah, they are,” Emma agreed.

They got into the car and Regina drove away. They were ready for their big adventure…

~~~

Expectantly, Emma glanced towards the kitchen. August had promised to cook for her, so she ‘would leave with a well-filled belly’. Emma had laughed but allowed him to surprise her. Finally, he walked out of the kitchen with the first dish: soup. He had made a simple vegetable soup with little meatballs. It smelled amazing and Emma couldn’t wait to get it in her mouth.

“You went all out, huh?” She smirked as he sat across from her.

August had closed the pub for one night, especially for her. He had told her he wanted to give her his undivided attention and his costumers could get drunk somewhere else. He knew he could do this as he had a loyal customer base and none of them had complained at his announcement a couple of days ago. All of them knew Emma and they had all understood.

“Only the best for my partner,” August winked and started to serve the soup.

They ate in silence until Emma looked up from her soup.

“Can you believe I’m still nervous to go?” she asked.

“I would be worried if you weren’t,” August said. “You’re going to do something completely different and it’s going to be the very first time for this country and team. That’s big, Emma,” he added.

“I know,” Emma nodded. “I try not to think too much about that.”

“That’s probably wise,” he chuckled.

He stood up to get the main dish and Emma quickly checked her phone. She had one text from Regina.

_**Regina:** How am I supposed to take everything I need?? I’m already waaay past the weight restrictions._

Emma chuckled and typed a quick reply.

_**Emma:** Are you trying to take Henry with you?_

_**Regina:** How did you… Shit, is it that obvious?_

_**Emma:** A bit._

Emma snickered and looked up when August came back with two piping hot plates. He really had gone all out. He had made a steak, medium rare, with pepper sauce drizzled over it, vegetables on the side and a handful of potato chips. Emma suspected he had made them himself as they weren’t the same size and thickness.

“Wow,” she said as she took it all in. “Why haven’t you opened a restaurant yet?” she asked.

“Because I like the drunks too much,” he deadpanned and Emma laughed.

“I’m serious, this is really good!” she exclaimed.

“You haven’t even tasted it,” he threw back.

“It smells divine,” she said as she dug in.

She was right, it tasted heavenly. She told him as much and she swore August was actually blushing behind his beard. When she had devoured it all, she leant back and stretched herself out.

“Do you want more?” he asked, eyeing her plate.

“If you want me to burst,” she answered. “This is really amazing, August,” she said again.

“Will you stop? I would like to fit through one door with my ego,” he protested, but his eyes lightened at the compliment.

“I’m serious, you should open a restaurant. It would work,” she said.

“It’s a lot more work than a pub, Em,” he said. “But it has been a dream of mine,” he confessed.

“What’s stopping you?” she asked.

August opened his mouth but found he didn’t have a reason not to do it. “Nothing.”

Emma smirked at her best friend, seeing he was mulling it over. “How about you go see if you can make a restaurant out of this dump and I go win us a gold medal?”

August smirked and raised his glass of wine.

“Deal.”

~~~

A few hours later, Regina was actually panicking. It looked like a bomb had detonated in her bedroom. There were clothes everywhere and Regina stood in the middle of it. On the bed lay a suitcase, only half-filled. She had no idea what she was doing.  
She looked up when her phone beeped. She scrambled over to her bed and smiled when she saw it was Emma. She opened the message and saw it was a picture of Emma and August pulling a weird face. Underneath appeared a text.

_**Emma:** Seriously though, do you need help?_

Regina’s smile widened at the thought of Emma coming over. She didn’t know when exactly it had happened, but she was completely smitten with the blonde. Of course, she thought back about what Emma had done, but Emma had proven to be trustworthy. She hadn’t left Henry’s side when he was in the hospital and even now she came by regularly. Regina quickly snapped a picture of her exploded room and sent it to Emma.

_**Regina:** Yes, please!_

A reply came almost instantly.

_**Emma:** On my way!_

Regina locked her phone with a sigh and once again looked at the mess. She looked at the half-packed suitcase and emptied it. Again. This was a disaster. She had travelled overseas for a game before of course, and knew how to pack for it, but never for something like this. This felt so much more important, so much more… everything.  
She was still revelling in what this was going to mean for her career and for the country when footsteps approached her room and stopped in front of the door. A soft knock followed.

“Come in,” Regina said and Emma stepped inside.

She looked around at the chaos and then settled her eyes on Regina.

“You weren’t kidding when you said you didn’t know what to do,” she started. “You do know how to pack, right?” she asked gently. “Because I’m starting to have serious doubts here.”

“Idiot,” Regina snorted and threw one of the closest pieces of clothing at Emma.

Emma caught and looked at what she hand in her hand. It was a white blouse and Emma shook her head.

“This is not coming,” she said decisively.

“What? I love that blouse!” Regina protested.

“But it’s not coming to Beijing, highly impractical,” Emma reasoned and hung it back in the closet.

Methodically, Emma went through the clothes scattered around the room, giving comments on what to bring and what not. After an hour and a half, Regina’s room was back to being presentable and her suitcase was packed for the most part. Satisfied, Emma looked down at the suitcase and nodded.

“Thank you,” Regina said as she plopped down on her bed.

“You’re welcome,” Emma replied and sat down next to her. “Going to the Olympics is overwhelming,” she said.

“No kidding,” Regina agreed.

Emma looked around her and bit her lip. “So… I’m in your bedroom,” she started seductively.

“Yes, you are,” Regina deadpanned, knowing all too well to what Emma was referring.

“And you’re next to me,” Emma continued, ignoring Regina’s dry tone. “All clothed.”

“Do you have a point, miss Swan?” Regina asked, drawing up one eyebrow.

“Maybe,” Emma drawls, giving Regina the seductive eyes.

Regina chuckled, feeling all kinds of feelings churning in her lower belly. She would love to just make out with Emma right there and then, but she knew that wouldn’t be wise. Both Zelena and Henry were home and she needed a bit longer to figure out what exactly she felt for the woman in front of her.  
Deep down she knew the answer, but something was holding her back. She recognised what was holding her back, it was the good old fear she had clung to for so long. She had forgotten all about it after what Emma had done, but now it was rearing its ugly head again.  
Regina decided it was time to shut it up and decided she wanted to take the next step with Emma. Without giving it another thought, she closed the space between them and kissed Emma fiercely.  
Emma, who wasn't expecting it, fell on her back on the bed. Regina moved on top of her, drinking up the taste of Emma. She felt Emma’s hands move to her waist and wished they could just go for it. Her own hands tangled into blonde curls and felt how the kiss turned hungry, heated. With all the willpower she had in her body, Regina broke the kiss. She leant on her hands, hovering above Emma’s face.

“Not yet,” she whispered.

“Okay,” Emma replied breathlessly. “Okay.”

Emma moved up to place a chaste kiss on Regina’s lips. Regina closed her eyes immediately at the sensation, wanting to dive deeper. Emma pushed her softly to a sitting position, holding her in her arms.

“Emma,” Regina whispered hungrily.

“Let’s not do something you regret,” Emma replied and Regina could see how much effort it took Emma.

Regina nodded and revelled for another moment in how Emma’s arms felt around her waist. Then she stood up from the bed and Emma followed.

“Thanks again for the help,” Regina said, avoiding Emma’s eyes.

“No problem,” Emma said. “How about we get a cup of coffee?” she offered.

“Sounds perfect,” Regina nodded and now looked up at Emma with the smallest of smiles.

~~~

Emma’s head was still reeling when she drove away from Regina’s house. They had actually made out and, if Regina hadn’t stopped them, it would have turned R-rated very quickly. Emma was glad to know that Regina seemed to have made up her mind, but she had noticed something was holding her back as well. She suspected it was the fear that Regina was battling before, and she couldn’t blame the brunette. Yet, she hoped something would happen between them again in Beijing and that she could convince Regina that she could be trusted. Emma knew very well she had fucked up badly before, but this make-out session seemed very promising.  
Emma parked her bike in front of her parents' house for their weekly family dinner. She forcibly pulled her mind out of the gutter as it was already cooking up some scenarios of what she wanted to do to Regina. Emma let herself into the house and could hear the laughter drifting from the kitchen. She hung her jacket and took a moment to gather herself before entering the kitchen.

“Hey, Emma!” Hans greeted her cheerfully.

“Hi, everyone,” Emma smiled and went to hug everyone.

She watched as Mary Margaret, Hans, and Gretel prepared the food. Halfway through, David walked in with Neal on his arm and Emma got a kissed planted on top of her head.

“Are you ready for the circus again?” he asked as he sat across from her.

“I think I am,” Emma nodded. “Regina certainly was a mess,” she chuckled, thinking back at the chaos she found when she arrived at the brunette’s bedroom.

Thinking back about it proved to be a wrong move, as her mind almost immediately went to the moment she and Regina made out. She swallowed thickly as she felt the familiar burning in her lower stomach.

“What did she do?” Mary Margaret asked, pulling Emma out of her thoughts effectively.

“She was panicking. Turned over her entire room and had no idea what to actually pack,” Emma snorted.

“And you sorted her out?” Mary Margaret guessed, looking over her shoulder to look at her daughter.

“Something like that, yes,” Emma replied, trying to keep a straight face.

Hans chuckled, getting an idea of what Emma was talking about. Emma shot him a warning look, which made him chuckle even harder. Emma shook her head, smiling; she loved her family.  
Mary Margaret placed a hot pan on the table and Emma saw they had made her favourite dish, paella. Years ago, they had taken a trip to Spain and Mary Margaret had learned to make the real paella. Every now and then she made it for Emma, who was in love with the dish.

“For me?” Emma asked wide-eyed.

“Of course. It’s not every day your girl goes to the Olympics,” Mary Margaret reasoned.

“Well, actually,” Hans started with a grin, but Mary Margaret shut him up with one glance.

“Dig in!”

Everyone loaded up their plates and started to eat.

“Mary Margaret told us you've been to the Olympics before?” Gretel asked around a mouthful paella.

“I have,” Emma nodded. “I was a speed skater before this,” she explained.

“Cool! How many times did you go?” Gretel asked.

“Uh, three,” Emma replied.

“And did you win?” Hans asked.

Emma chuckled. “Yeah,” she nodded. “When I get back I’ll show you my medals, okay?” she suggested.

“Cool!” Gretel exclaimed.

Emma smiled at the enthusiasm and realised how much she was going to miss them. Last time she had gone to the Olympics their family hadn’t been that big, and Mary Margaret and David had gone with her.

“What’s the time difference?” Hans asked as he loaded his plate full again.

“I think Beijing is seven hours ahead of us,” Emma replied.

“So we have to watch you in the middle of the night?” Gretel asked, quickly calculating the difference.

“Yeah,” Emma nodded.

“Do you think school would give us the day off because our big sister is playing at the Olympics?” Gretel mused out loud.

“I wouldn’t count on it,” Emma chuckled.

“Damn,” Gretel muttered.

“Language,” David warned her, but there was a light in his eyes.

Emma enjoyed these moments, they really were a family now. They all looked up when the doorbell suddenly rang and Mary Margaret frowned, she didn’t expect anyone at this point.

“I’ll go,” Hans said and stood up to answer the door. Seconds later, he returned, looking slightly disturbed. “Emma, it’s for you,” he said.

Emma frowned and stood up. She walked out of the kitchen into the hallway and immediately spotted a very agitated Regina on the doorstep.

“Regina?” Emma asked as she walked towards the woman.

“Emma!” Regina exclaimed and rushed forward, not realising she stormed into a stranger's house. “I… I made a mistake,” she started. “I can’t leave Henry! What if he dies before I can get to him? What if he dies alone and no one knows? I can’t lose him like that,” she rambled in panic.

Emma caught her arms and made Regina look into her eyes.

“Regina,” she said again and this time Regina looked up. “Breathe."

Regina’s eyes finally focused on hers and she took a deep breath. She closed her eyes and leant into Emma. Emma wrapped her arms around Regina’s waist and pulled her closer. Once again, she marvelled at how well they fit together. “It will be alright,” she whispered.

She felt Regina nod against her shoulder before pulling back, but not enough to have Emma remove her arms around her waist.

“I’m sorry for barging in like this,” Regina said in a small voice. “It all became too much all of a sudden.”

“Hey, it’s okay,” Emma told her. Regina looked up with a small smile. “If you want, I can ask my parents to keep an extra eye on Henry?” she suggested.

“But… I don’t even know your parents,” Regina frowned. “Are you sure they would want to do that?” she asked.

“Yes,” Emma nodded. “They’ve been dying to meet both you and Henry,” Emma informed her. “Come, I’ll introduce you.” She took Regina’s hand in hers and felt her tense up. Emma looked back at the brunette and saw how tense she looked. Emma stopped her just before entering the kitchen. “They won’t bite,” she said. “I just fed them.”

This made Regina chuckle and Emma could see a bit of tension leave Regina’s body. Regina nodded and held her head up high.

“Let’s do this,” she said.

Emma smiled and guided her into the kitchen.

“Mom, dad,” she started. “This is Regina Mills,” she introduced the quivering brunette next to her.

“Hi,” Regina smiled.

“Fucking finally,” Hans said as he stood up to hug Regina. “I was wondering how long it would take for Emma to grow a pair and bring her girlfriend home,” he smirked.

“I… I’m not…” Regina stammered and Emma shot Hans a death glare.

Hans only smirked smugly and sat back down.

“Welcome, Regina,” Mary Margaret smiled and stepped forward to hug Regina. “I’m Mary Margaret,” she introduced herself.

David stood up as well. “And I’m David,” he said as he hugged Regina as well.

“It’s nice to meet you all,” she said shyly and her eyes landed on Gretel. “And you must be Gretel,” she said, smiling at the young girl.

“I am,” Gretel replied.

“Nice to see you,” Regina said warmly.

“Regina has a favour to ask of you,” Emma said as she looked at her parents.

“Well, not me exactly, it was Emma’s idea,” Regina back-paddled.

“She was wondering if you would keep an eye on Henry while we are gone,” Emma continued, ignoring what Regina had said.

“Of course, we'd love to,” David nodded enthusiastically.

“We were going to suggest coming to meet him when everything had settled down,” Mary Margaret smiled.

“And then the Olympics happened,” Hans quipped cheerfully with a Cheshire smile.

“Will you shut up?” Emma asked, giving him the stink eye.

Hans just grinned as he took another spoonful of his paella.

“He’s in an electric wheelchair now, right?” David asked, eyeing the small hallway.

“Yes, he is,” Regina replied.

Emma pulled a chair back for her motioning for her to sit down. Without saying anything, she took an empty plate out of the cabinet and loaded some paella on it. She paced it in front of Regina and the brunette looked up at her.

“I already ate,” she said.

“You want to try this,” Emma said with a wink and sat down as well.

“Well, if Henry doesn’t mind being carried, he is more than welcome here,” David said. “He might fit through the backdoor, but then he would have to stay in the kitchen,” he pondered.

“I think he would be fine with that,” Regina smiled as she took a bite of the paella and moaned at the taste of it. “Did you make this?” she asked as she looked up at Mary Margaret.

“I did,” Mary Margaret and blushed.

“You’ve got to teach me how to make this,” Regina said and took another bite. “Are you sure you want to look after him?” she asked when she finished the plate. “I mean, you don’t even know him.”

“He is Emma’s son, I’m sure it will be okay,” David said. “And if it puts your mind to rest, we would love to do that,” he added.

“Thank you,” Regina said sincerely.

Emma walked Regina to the front door after they had talked through the specifics. Regina turned to face Emma before she opened the door.

“I told you they would do it,” Emma said.

Regina nodded. “Thank you.”

“Of course,” Emma said. “To be honest, it puts my mind to rest as well knowing they are looking after him.”

Regina smiled and without thinking she cupped Emma’s cheek. “It’s fate we met,” she said.

Emma nodded and moved her head forward to kiss Regina softly. “I think so, too.”

Regina kissed her again and Emma’s arms went around Regina’s waist to pull her closer. She moaned as Regina licked her lips and she opened her lips for Regina. Their tongues swirled around each other and Emma wasn’t sure who moaned this time. Regina stepped back before neither of them would be able to break the kiss.

“Sweet dreams, Emma,” she said with a husky voice, and was out the door before Emma could reply.

Emma stared after her, watching her walk away through the rain. When she was completely out of sight, Emma closed the door with a sigh and walked back into the kitchen.

~~~

The loud sounds and crowded streets overwhelmed the British team when they arrived Wednesday morning in Beijing after a 10-hour flight. They were loaded up on the bus and continued on their way to the Olympic Village, which lay just outside the city. Emma was filming it all with Henry’s camera; she had offered to film the vlog for him now that he couldn’t join them. Henry had agreed, he would edit it all from home and post it.  
They arrived at the Olympic Village and had a quick look at it. Emma had to admit, it looked really neat. They spotted several other athletes walking around and Emma remembered that a few sport events had started yesterday. She could feel the excitement of actually being at the Olympics and it was infecting her as well.  
They all got off the bus when they arrived at their hotel. Throughout the village were several hotels to house all the athletes and their crews. At the hotel, they were welcomed by an Olympic official, who handed out the packages arranged for them, including game schedules, passes for the ice rink and some general information about the village. They also were assigned to a meeting room to have their team meets off the ice. Emma glanced at it quickly, grabbing the passes. They were told they had to share the room and Emma nodded, she was used to that. The official walked away and Victoria turned to face the group.

“Alright, let’s all go to our room, settle in and have a nap. Let’s meet at 6 for dinner and after dinner, we will discuss the training schedule,” she suggested.

Everyone agreed and they scattered. Emma rode the elevator with Regina, Zelena, Ruby, Mulan, and Aurora to the fifth floor. The jet lag was getting to Emma as she walked to her room. Regina walked behind her, talking with Zelena. Emma finally found her room and was about to enter, when Regina stopped next to her.

“You’re in 516?” she asked.

“Yeah,” Emma said and showed her the room pass in her hand.

Regina looked up and saw Zelena entering a room a few doors away with Ruby. Zelena waved at them with a smirk and Regina shook her head.

“Zelena,” she sighed.

“She set us up?” Emma guessed.

“Yeah,” Regina nodded and opened the door for them. “After you, roomie,” she said and held the door open for Emma.

“Thanks.”

They entered the room and were in awe of the luxury. A huge queen-sized bed stood in the middle of the room against the wall, on the other side of the bed hung a flat-screen tv with a gaming platform attached to it. Across the room was a huge window that covered the entire wall, giving them a beautiful view of the park that stretched out next to their hotel. The room itself was tastefully decorated with light colours. Emma gasped when she saw the shower. It was wide, had a bathtub and a regular shower. There was a mirror that started at the ceiling and ended on the floor.

“This is awesome,” Regina said. “Especially when you know in what kind of hotels we normally stay,” she chuckled.

Emma had to agree, compared to this those hotels looked like second rank hotels. “Do you want to go shower first?” Emma asked as she stepped back into the room.

“No, you go first, I want to call Henry,” Regina replied.

“Okay.” Emma quickly gathered her stuff; she would unpack later.

Regina grabbed her phone and watched Emma walk into the shower as she waited for Henry to pick up. “Hi baby,” she smiled. “Yeah, we just arrived in the hotel,” she told him and stood in front of the window, looking outside. “It’s gorgeous, I’ll send pictures now that it’s all still neat and clean,” she promised him. “How are you?” she asked and listened to his answer. “That’s good to hear…. No, we won’t have a game until Saturday… Not yet, but I think that will come sooner rather than later,” she smiled. “Okay, have fun,” she said. “I love you.” With a smile, she hung up.

Quickly she snapped a few pictures of the room and the view from the room. Regina walked back to the bed and claimed the left side of the bed as her own, she didn’t think Emma would mind. She was halfway through unpacking when Emma came back into the room.  
Regina looked up and stopped everything she was doing. Emma had only wrapped a towel around her body. Her hair was still wet and stuck to her skin.

Regina swallowed thickly, she had had this dream so many times.

“Regina?” Emma asked worriedly.

Something animalistic escaped in Regina and she knew she could no longer hold herself in check. Without saying anything, she took the few steps to Emma and kissed her hard. Emma, though obviously surprised, was soon kissing her back. Regina pushed Emma onto the bed and crawled on top of her. The towel had by now loosened and Regina could see the beginning of Emma’s breasts. Her eyes racked over Emma’s body and she couldn’t wait to see it all. She let her hands wander over the towel, while Emma’s hand tucked at her shirt.

“I feel I'm at a disadvantage here,” she complained.

Regina stepped off the bed and stripped out of her clothes as soon as she could, including her underwear. She stood stark naked before Emma and she heard Emma gasp audibly.

“Who is at a disadvantage now?” Regina smirked and crawled back onto Emma.

She let her hands slid under the towel over Emma’s legs and managed to loosen it even more. Soon enough it flung to the side and Emma lay naked under Regina. Emma’s hands wandered over Regina’s body, settling on her hips. Regina leant forward and kissed Emma passionately. Emma tried to pull her even closer, and Regina marvelled at the feeling. This was long overdue and Regina was just hungry to taste more of the blonde.  
She broke the kiss and slowly moved to her neck, kissing and licking her neckline. Emma arched her neck to give Regina more access. Regina soon found Emma’s pulse point and started nipping at it until the blood rushed to the front. Regina could almost taste it and she smirked when she saw the skin darken. Emma writhed under her and Regina could feel the heat radiate from Emma’s centre.  
Regina moved down, kissing down her belly and hovered above Emma’s centre. She could smell the arousal and she couldn’t wait to actually taste it. She didn't hesitate and swiped her tongue up the length of Emma’s cunt. Emma let out a guttural moan at the feeling and pushed her hips down on Regina’s tongue. Regina started to work Emma into a frenzy and suddenly stopped.

Emma groaned disappointedly and opened her eyes. “Gina,” she moaned.

Regina straightened and leant back forward to kiss Emma again. Emma moaned at the taste of her own arousal and bucked when Regina plunged two fingers into her. Emma gasped and arched her back when Regina set a deadly pace. She needed to make Emma come, she needed to see her face and she needed to feel her tremble. She had noticed the stickiness between her own legs, but she ignored it for now. She focused on Emma and drank it all in. Emma panted and moaned, she started to grow even more vocal.

“Come for me,” Regina whispered in her ear.

“Oh… Oooh… fuuuuck,” Emma screamed as Regina stroked the rough patch in her.

Emma’s fingers clawed at Regina’s back and Regina felt something sting. She moaned and arched her back, pushing her cunt against Emma’s leg. Emma opened her eyes at the feeling of the wet spot on her leg. She lifted her leg, driving it effectively into Regina’s cunt. Regina groaned and before she could stop herself, she started grinding on Emma’s leg. Her fingers kept up the high pace as she worked them both to their orgasm, Emma was already dangerously close. Suddenly, Emma’s hand clasped around Regina’s wrist, stopping her.

“Not yet,” Emma gasped. “Together.”

She lifted her hand and wriggled her fingers in between Regina’s legs, replacing her leg for her fingers. With ease, she entered Regina and Regina felt like coming right then and there. It felt so good to be filled again and Emma’s fingers were so much better than her own or Ella’s. Emma started pumping at a rapid pace and nodded at Regina to start moving her fingers again as well. Regina felt she was close, so close.

“Emma, yes… Ooooh… yeeessss,” she screamed as she came.

Emma followed close with an elongated Fuuuuuuuck. Regina collapsed forward, riding out her orgasm. She saw stars behind her eyelids and she didn’t believe she had ever come so hard in her life. She could feel Emma’s walls contract around her finger and Regina believed she was still coming. Finally, Emma’s body relaxed and Regina’s fingers slipped out of her. Emma removed her fingers as well and lazily sucked them clean. Regina watched it and believed she had never been turned on as much as she was now.

“Shit,” Emma sighed contently and looked aside at Regina.

“Second that,” Regina agreed.

Silence fell between them and Regina was scared Emma had fallen asleep next to her when Emma spoke up.

“So, does this mean you’re ready?” she asked, searching Regina’s eyes.

Regina swallowed, she hadn’t really thought about it before she acted. But laying here with Emma in her arms, made her realise she was. She couldn’t and wouldn’t spend another second without Emma in her life.

“Yes.”


	4. Settling In

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone!
> 
> I'm so sorry, I know I was supposed to post this yesterday, but I was out. So, with a bit delay, here is chapter four!  
> Thank you all for reading and reviewing, it really makes my day to see the kudo's and comments :D

The next morning they were all bright and early at the breakfast table. Emma and Regina had decided to keep as much distance as they could manage to avoid prying questions. Emma sat down next to Ruby and Mulan, Regina took a place next to Zelena. Zelena looked at her frowning and Regina panicked slightly.

“What?” she asked as calm as she could.

“There is something different about you,” Zelena mused. “Don’t know what though.”

“I’ve done nothing differently,” Regina said nonchalantly and reached for the salt.

Zelena suddenly gasped. “You just got laid!” she whispered loudly.

“What? No! With whom should I have done that?” Regina protested, trying her hardest not to look panicked at Emma.

“With Emma, duh,” Zelena smirked, seeing Regina’s panic.

“We did not sleep together,” Regina assured her and took a bite of her toast.

“You so did,” Zelena beamed and Regina thought that the only thing that was missing in this picture was Zelena clapping her hands.

“I did not,” Regina retorted. “I’m not as sex-crazed as you are,” she added.

“Oh, but you are when it comes to one Miss Swan,” Zelena smirked and Regina rolled her eyes.

It was a good thing Zelena couldn’t read her mind, because if she could, she would know she was right. Regina couldn’t help but think back to last night. After dinner and the team meeting, she and Emma had gone to bed with every intention to sleep but it had turned into round two. Regina could still hear the moans that had left Emma’s mouth and she thought she’d never heard something so beautiful. Emma had taken the lead this time, completely driving her crazy. Regina couldn’t count how many times she’d come, but her body was still sore from it. She looked up and caught Emma’s eyes who winked knowingly at her. Regina couldn’t stop the smile and quickly ducked her head before Zelena caught her.

~~~

Before the training started, they all headed into the Olympic Village. Even though Emma had thought it looked neat the other night, the Village wasn’t managing to impress her very much. She had seen these Villages just a bit too much and she had thought she had closed this chapter. Yet, the enthusiasm of the others was infectious and Emma smiled as she saw them fangirl when a famous snowboarder walked by. He waved at them and welcomed them. Emma knew him, he had been a contender in this circus for just as long as she had.

“Looks like the prodigal daughter has returned,” he smiled as soon as he saw Emma.

“Hi, Olaf,” Emma smiled back, she knew she would run into people she knew sooner or later.

She would've preferred it later.

“Changed tactics?” he asked as he looked at the team around Emma.

“Yeah, keeps the mind sharp,” Emma smirked. “And now I’m allowed to tackle people.”

Olaf let out a thundering laugh and slapped Emma on her shoulder. “You’re funny, Swan,” he said. “Anyway, all the best to you!”

He waved and walked off.

“You know him?” Lilly asked, star-struck.

“Yeah, he asked me out one time,” Emma chuckled. “He failed miserably.”

They walked further through the Village, seeing all the different houses for the different countries. They all heard that the Holland Heineken House was very popular. As they went searching for the American house, Regina came strolling next to Emma.

“Did he really try to date you?” she asked.

Amused, Emma looked up at the brunette next to her who was all but pouting. “Are you jealous, Mills?” she asked with a bemused smile.

“No,” Regina defended herself and pulled a straight face. “Okay, maybe a little,” she admitted when she failed miserably.

Emma laughed and after looking around to see if anyone was watching them, Emma gave her a quick kiss.

“You have nothing to worry about,” Emma told her. “I’m all yours.”

“Mine,” Regina whispered and looked up with a 1000 watt smile. “I like the sound of that.”

Emma hooked her arm through Regina's and pulled her closer. It was cold in Beijing, Emma had forgotten how cold these Olympics could be.

“How's Henry?” she asked. “I didn’t really have time to ask yesterday,” she smirked.

Regina chuckled. “He's good. Excited for us. He told me to say hi to you,” she said.

“I’ll give him a call when we get back,” Emma replied.

“He would love that,” Regina nodded.

“I think I need to do it when you’re in the shower, I’ll probably be occupied the rest of the time,” Emma teased her.

“You bet your arse,” Regina grinned, she couldn’t wait to get her hands on Emma’s body again.

Without thinking, Regina kissed Emma passionately. She didn’t know why, but she had a hard time keeping her hands to herself.

“I knew it!”

Triumphantly, Zelena stopped next to them. Regina and Emma looked up, startled.

“Shit,” Regina swore. “You can’t…” she started.

“Your secret is safe with me,” Zelena grinned, looking at the both of them. “But you’ve got to be more careful,” Zelena warned them seriously.

“I know,” Regina groaned. “But…”

“It’s hard?” Zelena guessed and Regina nodded. “I get that, I really do, but you don’t want to get kicked off the team now,” she advised.

“No,” Regina shook her head and looked rueful at Emma.

“We can do this,” Emma said and grabbed her hand.

“Yeah,” Regina nodded.

“Besides, you guys are not the only ones,” Zelena grinned as she pulled Ruby next to her.

“I knew it,” Emma smirked. “Congratulations.”

“Thank you,” Zelena beamed.

Regina frowned and was about to open her mouth to say something when she met Zelena’s stare. Zelena almost unnoticeably shook her head. Regina merely nodded and caught Emma’s questioning stare.

“Later,” she promised.

Emma nodded and they continued their walk around the Village. After an hour or two, they arrived back at the hotel and everyone wanted to go to their rooms but Victoria stopped them.

“Before you all rush off, remember we have practice right after lunch,” she told them.

Most of them groaned but knew they were here with a goal. Something to do with a medal and gold. Emma and Regina, as co-captains, decided to talk through their first game plan with Victoria. As the rest of the team scattered through the hotel, Regina and Emma walked with Victoria to the meeting room.

~~~

Back in their hotel room, Zelena and Ruby started to do what Regina and Emma couldn’t do at the moment. Ruby pushed Zelena against the wall and kissed her feverishly. Zelena entangled her hands in Ruby’s hair, pulling her closer. Ruby pushed her body flush against Zelena’s before moving them to the bed. Laughing, they collapsed on the bed.

“Poor Regina and Emma,” Zelena laughed. “They wish they could be in their room now.”

“They are hella cute,” Ruby smiled. “Just like you.”

She stroked a string of hair out Zelena’s face and Zelena turned to face her. “Have you checked the mirror lately?” Zelena murmured.

Ruby smirked and kissed Zelena again. Ruby leant on her arm, while her other hand wandered over Zelena’s body. Agonisingly slowly, Ruby worked her hand under Zelena’s shirt and stroked the soft skin she met there. Zelena moaned at the sensation and Ruby pushed up her shirt even more to expose the skin. She broke the kiss and moved down to kiss and lick the skin there. Zelena wriggled under her touch and moved to lift the shirt over her head.  
Ruby moved away a bit to give her room and kept staring at the now half-naked Zelena. Her hands moved out of their own accord and glided over the tanned skin, leaving goosebumps in their wake. She moved up and cupped the bra-clad breasts. Zelena pulled her closer and kissed her again. One of Ruby’s hands moved down over her stomach to her pants and slipped her hand inside. She stroked Zelena’s centre over the fabric of her panties and Zelena involuntarily bucked her hips. She needed more, she needed to feel more, she needed to…

“Stop,” Zelena suddenly choked out.

Startled, Ruby pulled her hand back and Zelena crawled to a sitting position, her knees held tightly against her face.

“Zelena?” Ruby asked worriedly.

“I’m sorry,” Zelena choked out. “I… I can’t do this.”

“Why not?” Ruby asked frowning, did she do something wrong? “What did I do?”

“Nothing,” Zelena sobbed. “You’re perfect.”

Ruby now crawled next to Zelena, sitting on her knees facing the redhead who was clearly in turmoil.

“What’s going on?” Ruby asked as she placed her hand on Zelena’s hand.

Zelena rocked back and forth, tears streaming down her face. Ruby kept rubbing soothing circles on her hand until Zelena had calmed down enough to talk.

“I’m pregnant,” she finally managed to say.

Ruby’s mouth felt slightly agape at the revelation. “Wow,” she whispered.

“Not my first thought,” Zelena chuckled dryly.

“When did you find out?” Ruby asked.

“Just before we left, doctor Whale told me after the blood test,” Zelena told her, feeling more relaxed now that she had said it.

“So, Victoria knows as well?” Ruby asked surprised.

“No, she doesn’t,” Zelena said. “Emma convinced Whale to shut up somehow.”

Ruby whistled, impressed. “And it's August's, right?” Zelena nodded. “Does he know?”

“Not yet,” Zelena confessed. “I’m not sure how he will take it.”

“Yeah, I get that,” Ruby nodded and settled next to Zelena, her back against the headboard of the bed.

“I totally get if you want to break things off with me now,” Zelena said softly, ducking her head.

She didn’t see how speechless and in love Ruby looked at her. Ruby placed a finger Zelena’s chin and made her look up.

“Now, why would I do that?” she asked.

“Because…” Zelena started but stopped when she saw the love glinting in Ruby’s eyes.

Ruby carefully moved closer and kissed Zelena delicately. Zelena felt her heart speed up, she had never felt like this. Something warm and comfy settled in her stomach and for the first time in her life, Zelena felt this was right. She returned the kiss and felt Ruby smile against her lips.

“What?” she asked.

“Nothing,” Ruby said. “I never thought I would settle with someone like you,” she then confessed.

“Me neither,” Zelena murmured. “But it feels right.”

Ruby agreed by kissing her again. Zelena sighed in contentment, she had no idea that this was how love really felt…

~~~

Regina and Emma walked back to their room after they had talked through the game plan with Victoria. After a few alterations, the plan was deemed good enough. When Emma opened the room for them she realised how tired she actually was. The jet lag was still bothering her, she collapsed on her bed.

“Are you okay?” Regina asked concerned.

“Tired,” Emma replied and turned on her back. “I always need a day or so to get back into the rhythm,” she explained.

Regina nodded, she understood that. “Me too.”

Regina sat down on the bed as well, her back against the headboard. Emma crawled up and settled in Regina’s arms. They decided to watch some tv and rest as much as possible. There was not much on, so they settled on the sports channel. Regina pulled Emma closer to her, revelling in the feeling of having Emma in her arms.

“So, am I completely forgiven?” Emma suddenly asked.

Regina didn’t know how to answer, as she hadn’t really thought about what happened. Now, thinking back, Regina realised she had forgiven Emma way before they left for Beijing. She figured it happened somewhere between the hospital and their second first kiss.

“Yes,” Regina said and placed a kiss on top of Emma’s head.

“Good,” Emma replied and sighed contently.

Silence fell between them again as they watched tv. Ski jumping was on, which neither of them found really interesting. But they enjoyed the proximity of the other and it felt so right to Regina. She was meant to end up with Emma all along.

“How weird is it to be back again for the Olympics?” Regina asked while combing through Emma’s golden hair.

“Pretty weird,” Emma admitted, and turned so she could look Regina in the eyes. “I really thought I had closed that chapter four years ago. But to be here with this team, with you, is amazing and I wouldn’t have wanted to miss it for the world,” she added and kissed Regina lightly.

Regina smiled. “Me neither.”

“It’s going to be a challenge to keep my hands off of you, though,” Emma mused as she returned to her previous spot.

“You don’t have to tell me,” Regina groaned.

“Victoria has to notice something,” Emma continued. “I mean, we’re together, Zelena and Ruby, Mulan and Aurora and god knows who else more.”

Regina chuckled and remembered her little conversation with Victoria after the press conference. “I think she knows,” Regina revealed as she massaged Emma’s skull.

“How do you know?” Emma asked.

“Do you remember I had to do that press conference when we were caught kissing by that stupid journalist?” Regina asked and Emma nodded. “Well, just after I got back from the interrogation, she told me she knew.”

Emma gasped and sat up to look up at Regina. “You’re kidding.”

“Nope,” Regina shook her head. “I was just as shocked as you.”

“You think she knows now?” Emma asked.

“I don’t know, but I think she suspects something,” Regina replied with a frown.

“Wow,” Emma whispered. “So she does have a heart after all.”

Regina chuckled. They fell into a comfortable silence again and woke up two hours later when Zelena came to get them for lunch.

~~~

The ice smelled different here. Emma was the first to arrive at the ice rink and took advantage of that. She had left most of the lights off; she liked it better that way. She started skating around the smooth ice and enjoying the silence. It allowed her to think.  
The past couple of days with Regina had been amazing. More than amazing, actually, and Emma couldn’t exactly wrap her head around it. They had been dancing around each other for more than a year now and she could finally call Regina hers. She knew they had to keep it on the down-low for now and that was proving to be harder then she thought. Neither of them seemed to be able to keep their hands to themselves and it was a miracle no one else had busted them yet.  
Emma reminded herself she needed to call Henry after the training, she wondered how he was doing. Probably taking advantage of the fact that his mother wasn’t around. Emma chuckled, she wouldn’t put it past him.

“Hey, you.”

Emma looked up and found Mulan skating next to her.

“Hey,” Emma smiled.

“Aren’t you way too early?” Mulan asked, glancing at her watch.

“Yeah, but I like to get a taste of the ice before we start,” Emma explained, grinning sheepishly.

“You’re weird,” Mulan chuckled and shook her head.

“How are you liking it, being here?” Emma asked.

“It’s so cool,” Mulan beamed. “I would have never have thought I'd end up here. And my parents are coming over to see us play!”

“Oh, that’s so great!” Emma smiled. “Do they live nearby?”

“Not really, they live in a small village near the mountains,” Mulan told her. “They are staying in a hotel.”

“Isn’t that crazy expensive?” Emma asked.

“It is,” Mulan nodded. “And they refused to let me help pay for it,” she grumbled.

“Parents,” Emma chuckled and Mulan nodded. “How is Aurora?” she asked after they skated half a round.

“She seems to be settling in pretty well,” Mulan said. “I think it’s because he's, like, on the other side of the world.”

“I think that helps, yes,” Emma nodded. “Has he been convicted yet?” she asked.

“Yeah, he got 8 years behind bars,” Mulan informed her.

“Serves him right,” Emma grumbled. “Have you recovered completely?” she asked.

“Yeah, thankfully,” Mulan smiled. “But I’ll always have a reminder,” she added, motioning at her face. Across her cheek was a still reddish scar still healing. Emma nodded and wrapped her arm around Mulan’s shoulder to show her support.

Slowly, the rest of the team started to appear on the ice and soon Victoria and Killian arrived as well. They all huddled up around the coaches to hear what they were going to do today.

“Where were you?” Regina whispered when she stood next to Emma.

“Here,” Emma whispered back. “I like to get a smell of the ice before you all arrive.”

“Weirdo,” Regina said and Emma smirked.

“Alright, it’s for real now,” Victoria started and looked a bit emotional. “We are going to start with the warm-up and then go straight through to sprints. After that, we’ll go for stick handling and tactics. Emma, Regina, I need you to run the team through the game plan,” Victoria told them.

“On it,” Regina nodded.

Victoria whistled and all of them started to skate their rounds. Emma took it easy; she was already warmed up. Regina skated next to her.

“Do you think they’re ready?” she asked, concerned, eyeing the playfulness among the team.

“Yeah,” Emma nodded. “They will be intimidated, you too, but when it’s time to shine, they will,” she said convinced.

“It’s going to be intimidating, won’t it?” Regina asked, she sounded scared.

“Yes,” Emma replied in earnest. “I threw up before I had to skate the first time. I felt better five minutes later after the race,” she added coolly.

“Shit,” Regina murmured.

“You’ll be fine. You’ve got us.”

Regina nodded with a smile. Emma had to restrain herself from grabbing her hand. She felt Victoria’s eyes burn in her back but decided to ignore it.  
Victoria whistled after they skated ten rounds. They lined up in two lines for the sprints. Emma started alongside Elsa and she smirked. She had been training hard before they left and August had pushed her hard to fasten her sprint. Victoria whistled again and Emma sprinted as hard as she could to the other side. She managed to stay ahead of Elsa, but just barely. She touched the boarding on the other side first and smirked at Elsa.

“Damn, what did you eat this morning?” Elsa asked, gasping for air.

“Nothing special,” Emma shrugged. “Not that old after all, huh,” she smirked as she skated at a slower pace back at the line.

Elsa shook her head and skated back as well. They repeated the sprints for five times, Emma beating Elsa every time. Elsa came close the last time, but Emma managed to stay ahead of her. Victoria called them back for a five-minute break. Emma plopped down on a bench, grabbing a bottle of water and passed them on until everyone had one.

“Keep up the good work,” Victoria said as she looked at Emma. “You improved.”

“Thanks,” Emma nodded.

“Think you’ve beaten your old record there,” Victoria winked and Emma smirked.

“You can take the person out of speedskating…” Emma’s voice trailed off, but Victoria got it and smirked as well.

“Alright, after the break, we’re going to stickhandle,” Victoria elaborated.

Emma looked up and saw Killian was setting up a parkour. She smiled, she liked that. She looked aside and saw Regina was going over the game plan one more time.

“Hey, it’s a good plan,” Emma said to her.

Regina looked up. “I hope so.”

The break was over before they knew it and Emma grabbed her stick. One by one, they went through the parkour and finished with shooting the puck into the goal with Ruby trying to stop them. They repeated this for another four times before Victoria called them back, asking Regina to walk everyone through the game plan. Regina seemed to have gotten her nerves under control and relayed the plan. Everyone agreed and Victoria complimented her and Emma on the game plan. Beaming, Regina put away the binder.

“I think we have some time left for a scrimmage,” Victoria said as she checked her watch.

They had just finished making teams, when the coach of the Russian team stormed towards them, his team following in tow. They looked impressive, all geared up. Emma felt the uneasiness settle in the team, and she had to admit, she felt a bit intimidated as well.

“We have the ice now,” the Russian coach barked.

Victoria didn’t flinch and Emma hadn’t expected anything less. Victoria had been dealing with these types before. “I was under the impression we had the ice for another fifteen minutes,” she replied calmly.

“No!” the Russian barked. “I always book it with fifteen minutes extra.”

“Well, I’m sorry. I hadn’t seen that,” Victoria said calmly. “My girls were just ready to do a scrimmage. Maybe your team would like to participate in a friendly game?” she suggested.

“No!” the Russian coach barked again. “We have a strict training schedule.”

“Okay,” Victoria replied and turned around to her team. “Let’s get out of here, ladies. We’ll do the scrimmage later.”

They gathered their stuff and shuffled past the Russian team. They got angry stares and, intimidated and a bit scared, they entered the locker room.

“That was not cool!” Zelena went off. “I checked the schedule, and they were supposed to be on the ice in twenty minutes.”

“Relax,” Emma stepped in, grabbing Zelena’s shoulders. “It’s a scare tactic.”

“Well, they succeeded,” Ivy grumbled.

“Don’t let them get to you, guys,” Emma advised. “I know they are seasoned and everything, but we’ve got the advantage here. They don’t know us, so they try to scare us,” she explained.

“That actually makes sense,” Ella mused. “We are the rookies now. Remember what we used to do with rookies?” she asked.

“Yeah, we scared the living daylights out of them,” Regina snickered and stood up to stand next to Emma. “They are testing us.”

“They are,” Emma nodded. “But lucky for us, we’ve got a seasoned Olympian in our midst,” she smirked smugly.

Immediately, the women threw their towels at her. Emma tried to fight them off but got buried in towels and jerseys. Laughing, Emma dug her way out of it. Regina stuck out her hand and pulled her up.

“You’re our hero,” she smirked.

“Oh, please,” Ella interjected. “Don’t call her that too much or you won’t fit into your hotel room because of her ego.”

A salvo of laughter went through the locker room and Emma was glad she was at possibly her last Olympic Games with this group of nutcases…

~~~

Exhausted, Mulan laid splayed out over her bed. Aurora smirked when she saw her girlfriend laying like that and snuggled up next to her.

“Hey you,” she said.

“Hi.”

Mulan turned her head and kissed Aurora gently. Aurora kissed her back and nestled on Mulan’s chest.

“Are you okay?” she asked.

“Just tired,” Mulan replied. “Are you?”

“Yeah.”

Aurora sighed contently, there wasn’t another place on earth she’d rather be. She had never dared to dream of being at the Olympics and free off Philip. She’d never dared to dream of allowing herself to be honest about who she really liked. She’d known she was gay when she was in high school, but her parents were homophobic and she’d never dared coming out of the closet.

“Where are you?” Mulan asked as she stroked her hair.

Aurora looked up and turned so she laid half over Mulan and could look at her. “Just thinking,” she replied.

“About what?” Mulan asked curiously.

“I never loved Philip,” she confessed. “And yet I agreed to marry him to satisfy my parents. I knew I was gay since I was thirteen, but my parents… They are homophobic and very faithful Christians and I never worked up the courage to come out. I had hoped that coming to London would give me more freedom, but then Philip happened. This is the first time I’m actually free,” her voice sounded astonished.

“I’m so sorry you had to go through that,” Mulan replied and sat up. “Do they know about your divorce?”

Aurora shook her head. “I haven’t spoken to them in years.”

“I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay. I feel happier now. I finally feel like me,” Aurora smiled softly. “Now that I have found you.”

Mulan smiled back and kissed her softly, but passionately. “I love you,” she said.

Mulan’s phone started ringing and Mulan stretched to get it. She smiled when she saw who it was and answered. Aurora watched as Mulan started talking in rapid Mandarin and realised that Mulan speaking Mandarin could come in handy during the Olympics. Mulan hung up and beamed at Aurora.

“Who was that?” Aurora asked.

“My dad,” Mulan said. “They have left the village and will be here in a couple of hours.”

“Wait. Your parents are coming?” Aurora was suddenly panicked.

“Yeah, I told you,” Mulan reacted surprised.

“No, you didn’t,” Aurora said. “Your parents are coming. Shit.”

Mulan grabbed Aurora’s arms to ground her. “Relax. They are amazing.”

Aurora looked at Mulan with big, scared eyes. “What if they don’t like me?” she asked.

“They will love you,” Mulan assured her.

At that, Aurora seemed to calm down a bit. “Do they know you’re gay?” she asked when she had settled against Mulan again.

“They do,” Mulan said.

“And they're okay with that? I mean, I know China isn’t big on the gay community,” Aurora asked.

“My parents have accepted me, they never made a problem of it. I’m really lucky with them,” Mulan mused.

“I’m glad to hear that,” Aurora said and played with the hem of Mulan’s shirt. “This is really happening, isn’t it?” she asked.

“Yes. And they will love you,” Mulan said again.

“I hope so,” Aurora sighed.

Mulan pulled her up to kiss her fiercely. Aurora melted against her, forgetting her troubles. It was funny that Mulan had that effect on her.

~~~

Emma walked away from the cell phone cel. She had just called home and to Henry. Henry had been over the moon about her and Regina and Emma had felt the warmth blossom in her chest. She really was about to have her own family.

“I heard rumours you were here. Looks like they are actually true!”

Emma looked up and found Trisha standing before her. Trisha had been in her team with coach Cassidy during her speed skating days and, apparently, had qualified again.

“Trisha, hi,” Emma greeted her, she and Trisha never really hit it off. Emma figured it had been the competition between them.

“So you’re a goon now, huh?” Trisha smirked.

Emma cringed at the term, she had forgotten the nickname they gave to ice hockey players.

“I’m an ice hockey player, yes,” Emma said.

Trisha shook her head as she stepped closer. “Unbelievable how hard you can fall from fame. I need to remember that when I step down,” she mused.

Emma had to restrain herself from punching Trisha. “I really like playing,” she said through gritted teeth.

“If you’re bored enough, I figure you like everything,” Trisha replied. “What’s next, curling?” Trisha laughed at her own joke. “Anyway, it was fun to see you. Toodles!” she waved and walked off, still snickering about her joke.

Emma shook her head in irritation. She knew she would run into people she knew, but she would've rather skipped Trisha.  
She pressed the button for the elevator and waited for it to arrive. Staring at her phone, she stepped in and leant against the wall in the back. She pressed the button for her floor and waited for it to bring her up. The village and hotel were clearly starting to get busier as most of the athletes arrived for the opening ceremony tomorrow. Emma didn’t look up when a group of people stepped in, enthralled in a conversation with August. He had just texted her about a woman he met and he was being insecure.

“Have you seen the rookies?” Emma heard someone ask.

“Yeah, they looked like a sorry bunch,” another replied with a chuckle.

“I bet they are not going to get far,” someone else said. “They will get crushed like cockroaches.”

Emma frowned and looked up, facing the backs of a female ice hockey player. Emma recognised the emblem on the jacket, they were from the American team. She suddenly realised they were talking about their team…


	5. Old And New Faces

Friday rolled around and, seeing the ice rink was taken, Victoria had ordered them to strap on their roller skates. Victoria was having them riding rounds and decided to go for some endurance training. Luckily, there was an asphalted track just outside the Village and team GB was thankfully using it now. They had attracted quite an audience, as kids from all over the neighbourhood were gathering to watch them train.   
During their break, one of the kids was pushed forward and in broken English, she asked them if they were famous. Mulan smiled and knelt in front of the young girl. In rapid Mandarin Mulan started talking to her and at the end of the conversation, she was surrounded by the rest of the kids. Most of them were wearing roller skates and hockey sticks. Mulan looked around at her team as she stood up. 

“They are asking if we want to play a game against them,” she smirked. 

“Like, street hockey?” Ivy asked, already looking disgusted. 

“Come on, you never played street hockey?” Emma asked incredulously. 

Ivy shook her head. “Mom didn’t allow us,” she explained softly. 

“Well, it’s not that different from ice hockey,” Emma replied. 

“Guys, we’re being challenged here,” Mulan interrupted. “Are we going to let it slide?” she asked with a smirk. 

“Nope!” Regina stood up as well, grabbing her stick. 

Soon they made a team out of six players: Ruby, Emma, Regina, Zelena, Ivy, and Mulan. The other team consisted of six kids of all ages. Emma glanced aside and saw Victoria was watching them with interest and smirked, this was probably not her idea of training. Belle, who was the referee, decided on a few rules and whistled. Regina lost the power struggle and the kid with the ball zig-zagged between them to score their first goal. The kids on and off the field cheered and team GB was looking perplexed. 

“If we don’t watch out, they’re going to beat our asses,” Zelena remarked. 

“Let’s do this again,” Regina nodded. 

The goalie on the kids' side, a rather big girl, shot the ball back into the game and Mulan blocked the kid that was trying to pass them. She won the ball back and passed it to Emma. Emma managed to get past the defence but broke on the goalie. Despite being rounder then the other kids, the goalie was really quick. She grinned at Emma and threw the ball back in the game. Emma smirked back and pursued the kid with the ball. The kid managed to score again. Ruby was starting to get pissed now. 

“Let’s crack them,” she hissed. 

“Oi, they are still kids,” Regina warned her. 

“Kids who are beating our arse,” Ruby threw back and passed the ball to Zelena. 

Zelena shot forward, avoided getting tackled and passed the ball off to Regina, who immediately shot it to Emma. Emma decided to open her trick box and skated full speed towards the goalie and stop just inches from her. The goalie was startled, looking at Emma with big eyes and Emma popped the ball into the goal. She smirked and skated off. The other kids scrambled around Emma asking her things. Helpless, Emma looked up at Mulan who came skating towards them. 

“What are they saying?” Emma asked. 

“Asking if you want to teach them that move,” Mulan quickly translated. 

“Oh, of course!” Emma exclaimed and looked up at Ruby. “Do you mind standing in for me? I don’t want those kids crashing into that poor goalie,” she asked Ruby. 

“Oh, but you do want them crashing into me? Nice,” Ruby said as she shook her head, but smirked. “Sure, let’s do it.” 

Emma explained to the kids that she was going to demonstrate her trick and that they were to follow her example. Mulan quickly translated and Emma had them stand in a line behind her. She skated as fast as she could to Ruby and stopped an inch away from the brunette goalie. Emma grinned at Ruby, who wasn’t startled at all. Emma explained how she made the sudden stop and encourage the kids to practice it. Most of them crashed into Ruby, who embraced all of them with a smile, but some actually managed to stop as Emma did. One managed to stop an inch from Ruby and Emma high fived her.   
Finally, it was time for team GB to return to the Village. They gifted their hockey sticks, signed and all, to the kids and left them. The kids followed them up until the entrance of the Village and waved them goodbye. In the lobby of the hotel, Victoria gathered them around her. 

“Congratulations, you all got beat by a bunch of kids,” she smirked. “But it was a fun afternoon and we all needed it. I’m proud of all of you.” Emma frowned, Victoria was getting emotional again. She wasn’t used to this from her old coach and she wondered if something was going on, she was never this soft. “Tonight is the opening ceremony and I want you all to look tip-top. Does everyone have their Olympic outfit ready?” Everyone hummed and nodded. “Good. It starts at eight-thirty, let’s all be here around seven.” Everyone nodded again. “Alright. Go. Don’t forget to take your proteins.” 

Everyone scattered to go up to their room. Emma watched Victoria walk away, her posture slumped slightly. She frowned again, she could feel something was amiss with their coach. 

“I’ll meet you up in the room, okay?” Emma said to Regina. “I’ve got to ask Victoria something.” 

“Okay,” Regina nodded and gave her a quick kiss. “Don’t take to long,” she said with a mischievous smile. 

“I won’t,” Emma smirked. 

She took a sprint and caught up with Victoria. Victoria looked up when she sensed someone walking next to her. 

“Hey,” she greeted Emma. “Everything alright?” she asked concerned, giving Emma a quick look over. 

“Yeah, I am,” Emma quickly said. “Are you?” she asked, stopping Victoria. 

It was only now Emma realised she was taller than Victoria as she had to look down on the woman a bit. 

“I am,” Victoria replied. “Why do you ask?” 

“Because this is the second time I see you getting emotional,” Emma explained. “I’ve never seen you get emotional.” 

Victoria sighed and ducked her head, effectively avoiding Emma’s eyes. “It’s just, being here with this team is really something,” she said. 

Emma’s lie detector started tingling and she tried to look Victoria in the eye. “What’s going on?” she asked softly when she saw the vulnerable look on Victoria’s face. She saw the battle going on in Victoria’s head and Emma placed her hand on the shoulder of the older woman. “You can trust me,” she said. 

Victoria blinked and Emma saw actual tears in her eyes. This was something serious. “I’m dying,” Victoria whispered eventually. 

“What?” 

Victoria looked away from Emma, trying to hide her vulnerability. “I found out just before we left,” she told Emma. “It’s cancer. A brain tumour. It’s all spread out and the doctors have given me six months tops.” Victoria looked up again, tears were streaming down her face. “No one knows yet. And especially the girls.” 

“Oh shit,” Emma breathed and pulled Victoria into a tight hug. 

She hated the woman from the bottom of her heart, but even Victoria didn’t deserve this faith. Victoria melted into her arms and Emma let her cry. After minutes of silent sobbing, Victoria broke the embrace and dabbed away the tears. 

“I would appreciate if this stayed between us for now,” she said, regaining her regal posture. 

“Of course,” Emma said. “If there’s anything I can do for you?” she offered. 

“Thanks,” Victoria nodded and walked off. “O, I would understand if you tell Regina,” she said with a knowing smile over her shoulder.

Emma watched her go surprised and felt her heart bleed a bit for the older woman. They hadn’t seen eye to eye for a very long time and Emma still couldn’t forgive her completely, but this was breaking her heart. Victoria may not have been the most decent human on the earth, but this was just cruel.   
Emma turned around and walked to the elevator to go to her room. She needed to gather her wits before she went to see Regina, but she doubted the brunette wouldn’t guess something was wrong. The elevator dinged and Emma stepped in, knowing she would tell Regina if she asked. She was not going to lie to the love of her life… 

~~~

Team GB reached the stadium and all of them could feel the exciting energy flowing through them. Even Emma was getting more and more excited now that it was really starting. She had shaken off the jet lag and was ready to rock. 

“She does look different,” Regina said next to her, glancing at Victoria. 

Regina had immediately spotted Emma’s troubled face and Emma had told her. She also said she had promised Victoria not to tell anyone, but that Victoria also had said she would understand it if she told Regina. Regina promised to not tell anyone and smiled at the fact that Victoria knew about them.

“She does,” Emma nodded. 

They entered the big plaza where the athletes all were gathering to go inside the stadium. Outside were big screens placed so they could see what was going on inside. 

“Oh, we are over here!” Lily exclaimed and pointed at the big Great Britain sign. 

They all walked over to the big group already gathered. Emma spotted a few familiar faces among the crowds and was happy to see some of her old friends here. They got greeted by an Olympic official, handing them water bottles and a pamphlet. On it stood the program and Emma saw they would enter the stadium halfway. She remembered from the previous Olympics that it would be a long evening. She hoped they would get enough sleep for their first game the following day. Victoria had argued with the committee to give them the free pass to skip the ceremony, but they convinced Victoria that it was a historic moment for them. Victoria had given in and Emma had to say she was glad they were able to go. The committee was right, this was historic. 

“This is so awesome,” Ruby beamed, hooking her arm through Emma’s. “Have you seen any people you know from your old days?” she asked. 

“Yeah, they're over there,” Emma replied and pointed the group of speed skaters out. 

One of them saw Emma pointing and stalked over to them. 

“Trisha was right, you are here,” the redheaded woman beamed and engulfed Emma in a bear hug. “I missed you, Woodie.” 

“I missed you too, Gonzalez,” Emma smirked and turned to face Ruby. “Ruby, meet Maria ‘Speedy’ Gonzalez. Speedy, this is Ruby, our goalie.” 

Maria reached out her hand shook Ruby. “Nice to meet you, Ruby,” she smiled warmly. 

Ruby closed her mouth before she could drool. She had been a fan of Maria ever since she had seen her skating. “Nice to meet you too,” she beamed. “Woodie?” she asked, looking questioning at Emma. 

“Yeah, haven’t you guys noticed the holes in the ice?” Maria asked and laughed out loud. “Emma here always left huge pits in the ice after she started. Hence the nickname Woodie Woodpecker.” 

Emma shoved Maria playfully, she really had missed the redhead. A bit ashamed she had to admit she hadn’t thought about rekindling their relationship after she quite. “Sorry I disappeared off the face of the earth,” she said. 

“It’s okay,” Maria said and wrapped her arm around Emma’s shoulder. “You had to cut the ties to be truly free,” she added. 

“I guess,” Emma nodded. “I’m glad to see you.” Suddenly, Regina appeared next to her, looking slightly jealous. Emma smirked and pulled her girlfriend against her. “Maria, this is Regina,” she introduced them. 

“The badass captain,” Maria said as she shook Regina’s hand. “Your reputation proceeds you.” 

“That’s good to hear,” Regina smiled a tight-lipped smile. “Nice to meet you.” 

Emma saw the regal demeanour and squeezed Regina’s shoulder. “Will you relax?” she asked softly. “Maria is as straight as a fiddle.” 

“Despite Emma’s attempts to get me in bed,” Maria hooted. 

“Wait. What?” Ruby asked. 

“Yeah. I was Emma’s first crush,” Maria elaborated, resulting in a beet red Emma. 

“Will you shut up?” she asked Maria a bit embarrassed. 

“Hell no, this is way too much fun,” Maria roared but toned down a bit when she saw Regina’s sour face. “But don’t worry, she’s not my type.” She glanced at Emma. “Is she your…?” she didn’t dare to finish her sentence, knowing the strict rules. 

Emma glanced around and made eye contact with Regina to make sure it was okay. Regina nodded barely noticeable, needing to have everyone know Emma was hers and hers alone. 

“She is,” Emma breathed. 

“Congratulations,” Maria smiled warmly and looked straight at Regina. “You’ve got a keeper there.” 

“I know,” Regina replied, finally relaxing. 

“Sorry for intruding,” Maria offered. 

“It’s okay,” Regina said. “You two go way back.” 

“That we do,” Maria nodded. “We should go for a cup of coffee while we are here, catch up.” 

“Sounds like a good idea,” Emma smiled. 

“No way, is that Woodie?” someone suddenly exclaimed behind them. 

Regina immediately let go of Emma, scared to be outed. Apparently, Emma’s old teammates all knew about Emma being gay and were quite vocal about it. Keeping their relationship on the down-low would prove to be difficult this way. Emma turned around and faced Neal Cassidy. She smirked and flew him around the neck. 

“Cassidy!” she exclaimed. 

Neal smiled and twirled her around before setting her down again. “Looks like we can’t keep you off the ice, huh?” he asked, his eyes were sparkling with joy. 

“Nope, not even with ten horses,” Emma smirked. 

“Is it true you are being coached by Belfrey again?” he asked softly, concern sounded in his voice. 

“Yeah,” Emma nodded. “I wasn’t prepared to let her ruin another dream of mine.” 

“Good for you, kiddo,” he replied with a soft smile. “So, this is your new team?” he asked, surveying the women that surrounded Emma. 

“Yeah. Meet the national women’s ice hockey team,” Emma presented them proudly. “Girls, meet my old coach, Neal Cassidy,” she smiled. 

Everyone called hello and Neal chuckled. “You’ve got your hands full,” he smirked. 

“Not me, the captain does,” Emma smirked, bumping Regina’s shoulder. 

Neal looked at her and admiration shone on his face. “Regina Mills,” he said. “Your reputation proceeds you.” 

“As I have heard,” Regina smiled. “Nice to meet you.” 

Neal nodded and looked back at Emma. “So, there’s no way of convincing you to come back to the dark side?” he smirked, knowing very well how demanding and murdering the speed skating business was. 

Before Emma could reply, Victoria stepped forward. “Will you stop recruiting my girls?” she asked sharply. 

Neal took a step backwards, holding up his hands in defence. “I wasn’t, Victoria. Honestly. Just making small talk.” 

Victoria scoffed and looked at Emma. “Really, it was just joking around,” Emma assured her. 

“Good,” she nodded and disappeared again. 

Neal whistled as he watched Victoria go. “She hasn’t changed, has she?” he asked. 

“Not much, no,” Emma shook her head. “How are the odds for you this Games?” she asked. 

“Pretty good,” Neal replied. “We’ve got some new blood on the team. All very promising. We’re going to crush the Dutch,” he said. 

“Good luck with that,” Emma smirked, both knowing the Dutch were dominating the speed skating world. Emma once had an offer to skate for them, but she declined. It would mean moving to the Netherlands and she wasn’t ready to do that. “I’ll be sure to check some races out,” she promised him. 

“And I will check out one of your games,” Neal nodded. “All the best to you and your team,” he said and hugged. “And if you want to join in one of our trainings, feel free to come over,” he offered. 

“Thanks,” Emma said and with a wave, he walked off. 

Maria stepped up and hugged Emma as well. “All the best to both of you,” she whispered in Emma’s ear. “She’s perfect.” 

“Thank you,” Emma choked, suddenly overwhelmed with emotions. 

Maria let go off Emma and hugged Regina as well, whispering something in her ear. Regina smiled warmly at her and grabbed Emma’s hand as Maria walked off. 

“She’s really nice,” Regina said. 

“She is and I missed her,” Emma sighed. “I need to get in touch with her again.” 

Regina nodded and they walked back to their team. “Do you miss speed skating?” she asked casually. 

“Of course I do, but I made my choice,” Emma said. 

“Good,” Regina said. “I would hate to lose you to those stuck-ups,” she remarked. 

Emma chuckled, knowing she used to be one of those stuck-ups. “They're not that bad,” she defended them. 

“Not all of them,” Regina mumbled, eyeing Trisha, and Emma roared with laughter. 

“Trisha is in her own league entirely,” she smirked, she had told Regina about her run-in with Trisha. 

Victoria came stalking towards them, looking up at Emma. “Has he tried anything?” she asked. 

“No,” Emma replied. “Only offered for me to train with them if I felt like it.” 

“That sneaky, lowlife son of a bitch,” Victoria hissed, ready to go murder Neal. 

“Hey, don’t,” Emma stopped her. “He knows I quit for a reason. He is not trying to get me back,” she assured her. 

“Okay, good.” 

Victoria threw one last burning glance at Neal’s back before she walked away. 

“She really hates his guts,” Regina noted. 

“He stole me away right under her nose,” Emma explained. “He took me in his team after I gave up Henry. He kinda saved my life.” 

“Well, then I should thank him,” Regina said, glancing at Neal. 

Emma smiled warmly and quickly kissed Regina after she made sure no one was paying them any attention. 

“How am I going to keep quiet about you being mine?” she whispered against Regina’s lips. 

“With great difficulty,” Regina whispered back. “Believe me, you are not alone.” 

Finally, the screens outside the stadium turned on and music out of the stadium wafted their way. The Games were officially starting as Chinese dancers kicked it off with a traditional dance. Excitement rolled through the crowd and the ice hockey team couldn’t wait to get inside the stadium. They could see the stadium was packed to the brim on the screens.   
Slowly but surely, the first countries entered the stadium, starting alphabetically. Emma looked ahead and saw a mass of orange and she smiled. The Dutch were very well represented. Emma made Regina aware of it by tapping her on the shoulder and pointing it out. Regina whistled impressed. 

“Damn,” she said. “Too bad we’re not playing against them. They were pretty good last time,” she added. 

“They were,” Emma agreed. “Too bad China beat them.” 

Zelena turned around to face them, looking at Emma with sparkling eyes. Next to her, Regina groaned. 

“So, Emma,” Zelena started. “That redhead you spoke with. Who is she?” she asked. 

“You are taken, you know that?” Regina asked annoyed. 

“Her name is Maria and she is as straight as a fiddle,” Emma clarified, ignoring Regina’s remark. 

“Straight until wet,” Zelena winked mischievously. 

“Believe me, I tried,” Emma deadpanned. 

Zelena gasped in mock surprise. “You didn’t!” she exclaimed. 

“Shot me down pretty hard too,” Emma continued. “But she’s cool.” 

“Ah, there you are.” Ruby popped up and hooked her arm through Zelena’s. “What are we talking about?” she asked curiously. 

“About Zelena trying to get into Maria’s pants,” Emma explained, earning a warning look and a curt shake of the head from Zelena. Emma smirked. “Too late,” she mouthed. 

“Excuse me?” Ruby asked, looking questioningly at Zelena and a bit hurt. 

“I... I was just pulling her leg,” Zelena tried to defend herself. “Sorry.” 

“You better be and I better not catch you staring at that redhead,” Ruby warned her. “And if you get into her pants, we’d better share.” 

At that Zelena smirked and nodded. “Deal.” 

“That’s what I thought,” Ruby replied and both turned to stand back in line. 

“I’ll never get the relation those two have,” Regina said, shaking her head. 

“Me neither, but it’s fun to watch,” Emma chuckled. 

“It is,” Regina agreed. “So, that was your first crush, huh?” she asked, looking up at Emma. 

Emma groaned. “She was and she will never let me forget it,” she said. 

“Never knew you were into redheads,” Regina said. “Should I be worried?” she asked as she looked at Zelena. 

Emma chuckled and shook her head. “No. My taste changed,” she smirked. “For the better.” 

“Good.” 

Finally, it was their turn to enter the stadium. One of the speed skaters had been selected to be the flag bearer and Emma was glad she didn’t have to do it. She once held the flag and that thing was heavy. And during the Ceremony you have to wear it all evening.   
Under loud applause they entered the stadium, waving at the audience. Emma smiled, she really was back at the Olympics and, for the first time, she actually felt excited. This part never was boring. The audience was enthusiastic and it was just a great feeling to be here with all the athletes. This was the only evening in the coming fourteen days that no one was trying to win. Everyone here was just wanting to celebrate.   
They stopped next to Ecuador and were able to watch the show live. The Chinese had gone all out. Fireworks were everywhere and a huge dragon walked around. Emma had seen a red dragon which was the official mascot this year and she hoped the get one of those little stuffed animals for Henry — he would totally love it. Suddenly Emma gasped and looked at Regina. 

“What?” Regina asked startled. 

“I forgot to film our entrance,” Emma said incredulous. 

Regina shook her head with a fond smile. Emma had promised to film everything for Henry’s vlog. Emma quickly grabbed the camera and started filming. She turned around the camera to face herself and pulled an apologetic face. 

“I’m soooo sorry,” she started. “I forgot to film while we walked into the stadium. I hope you can forgive me,” she said. “Anyway, the stadium is packed and the ambience is amazing. I hope I can get it all on tape,” she continued. “Regina is here with me.” Regina waved and smiled into the camera. “As Henry has probably explained, he can’t be here with us, so I promised to film our adventures here,” Emma told into the camera and turned it back around. 

She filmed the audience and the little show that was now unfolding before them. A seemingly very popular Chinese band stepped onto the stage and started to sing. Neither of them understood a word, but the audience went crazy. Emma and Regina glanced at each other and Regina grabbed Emma’s hand. Emma filmed a bit more and shut it off then. 

“I’m glad we get to experience this together,” Regina said. 

“Me too,” Emma nodded. 

After what seemed like hours, the last country entered the stadium. Emma could see everyone was getting tired and she glanced at Victoria. Victoria had seen it as well and Emma saw the worried frown on her face. Emma quickly glanced at her watch and saw it wouldn’t be long now. They stood through the last part of the show and were finally allowed to leave the stadium. No one mentioned anything about going to a bar, everyone was done and ready for a good night's sleep. Emma doubted they would all be well-rested since it was almost midnight. Victoria stopped them in the foyer of the hotel. 

“I hope everyone enjoyed themselves tonight,” she started and a few nodded. “Tomorrow is our first game and we need to kick arse. Try to go over the game plan one more time before you go to sleep. We will meet at noon for lunch and warm-up. There will be no training in the morning, take as much rest as you need,” Victoria ordered. “Alright, goodnight everyone.” 

Everyone scattered and Emma yawned as they stepped into the elevator. Regina leant against her shoulder and without thinking about it, Emma wrapped her arm protectively around Regina’s shoulders. Ella glanced at them and smiled softly. 

“You two look cute,” she said. 

“Thanks,” Regina smiled back. 

“I’m curious, Mills,” Ella started casually. “Who is a better fuck? Me or Emma?” 

Emma’s eyes practically bulged out of her head at the question. Regina shot up and her eyes shot fire as she looked at Ella. 

“What the hell, de Ville?” she spat. 

“Hey, it was just a curious question,” Ella smirked, knowing she was causing trouble. “Don’t worry Emma, we stopped fucking when Roni got the hots for you.” 

Emma opened and closed her mouth and was about to say something when the elevator dinged and Regina dragged Emma out of the elevator. Ella waved at them when the doors closed. 

“That bitch,” Regina raged, her eyes were still aflame. 

“You slept with Ella?” Emma asked. 

Regina stopped pacing and deflated at the question. She looked up at Emma, who just stood there and looked like a kicked puppy. 

“Yes,” Regina whispered. “It started after I kicked Denise out. I ran to Ella and we had wild, crazy sex. That went on for about two years until you showed up. I slept with Ella a couple of times more, but I realised she couldn’t do it for me, so I broke it off,” Regina started to explain. 

“And you haven’t slept with her ever since?” Emma asked quietly. 

“No,” Regina shook her head but realised something. “Yes. Almost. When we were fighting. I had this itch and I couldn’t get rid of it myself. Ella, however, refused to help me out.” 

Emma chuckled and stepped towards Regina, taking her in her arms. “You are full of surprises,” she smirked. 

“You’re not mad?” Regina asked. 

“Hell no,” Emma said. “I was with someone else as well, remember? And I know that itch you’re talking about.” 

Regina chuckled and fully relaxed now. “I’m gonna murder Ella,” she murmured. 

“Please do that after the Olympics. We kinda need her,” Emma chuckled. 

“Fair enough.” 

They stood there in silence, hugging and enjoying each other’s company until Emma broke the silence. 

“Uh, ‘Gina?” she asked. 

“Yeah?” 

“I don’t think this is our floor,” Emma chuckled. 

Regina looked up and realised the same. “Shit.” 

Emma shook her head and took Regina’s hand. They walked back to the elevator to go to their floor. They got on it and stepped out two floors up. Emma opened the door to their room and exhausted Regina fell down on the bed. Emma gathered her stuff for a shower and kissed Regina’s head. 

“Be right back, dear,” she said. 

After she came back from the shower, she found Regina fast asleep. Gently, Emma woke her up and helped get changed into her pyjama’s. They crawled under the covers and Regina snuggled up to Emma, already asleep. Emma followed soon after…


	6. Game On!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know, I know, I’m a day late again. I am soooo sorry! Apparently I’m bad at keeping to the schedule.  
> Anyway, here is chapter six and things are picking up. I hope you all like it, and thanks again for the comments and kudo’s. They make my day :D

Wringing her hands, Aurora stood waiting for Mulan to return. Mulan’s parents had arrived and Mulan was picking them up now. She hadn’t been this nervous when she met Philip’s parents, perhaps because she couldn't care less what they thought of her. It was different with Mulan’s parents, she needed to make a good impression on them. She planned on being with Mulan for a long time, hopefully for the rest of her life.   
Mulan had tried to take her mind off of meeting her parents by coaxing her into a hot make-out session. It had helped for a while, but now she was a bundle of nerves again. She looked up when she heard voices approaching. Mulan was talking animatedly with her parents and Aurora smiled at the sight. Mulan smiled up at her and grabbed her hand. 

“Dad, Mum, meet Aurora,” Mulan introduced her. 

“Hi,” Aurora smiled at them. “Ni hao.” 

Immediately, Mulan’s mother started rambling in Mandarin and grabbed her hand. Helplessly, Aurora looked at Mulan, who laughed. 

“She says it’s nice to meet you and that you have pretty hair,” Mulan quickly translated. 

“Oh, thank you!” Aurora exclaimed and smiled at the smaller woman. 

Suddenly, a woman clearly older then Mulan’s mother, pushed forward. She looked judgingly at Aurora and Aurora felt scrutinised. She glanced at Mulan for clarification, who just shrugged, looking slightly worried. 

“That’s my grandmother,” Mulan told Aurora. 

Aurora nodded and looked back at the old woman. The woman squinted, gently touched Aurora’s face and then nodded. She looked at Mulan and said something. 

“What?” Aurora asked when Mulan stayed quiet. 

“She likes you,” Mulan replied, relief sounded through her voice. 

Aurora smiled and felt how Mulan squeezed her hand, the hardest part was over. Mulan suggested they get a cup of coffee and all of them walked to the restaurant. It was quiet, luckily, and they sat down next to the window. Mulan said she would get the coffee and Aurora walked with her to help out. 

“Is it going how you hoped?” Aurora asked. 

“Yes, actually,” Mulan nodded. “I had no idea how Nanna would react, I've never introduced my girlfriends to her,” she admitted. 

“Girlfriends? As in plural?” Aurora asked surprised. 

“Yeah, but none of them was this serious. I only introduced two to my parents,” Mulan said and grabbed the coffee mug. 

They only served plain coffee in the restaurant, so Aurora opted for tea. “I see,” Aurora nodded and grabbed a second cup of tea for Mulan’s grandmother. 

“Does that bother you?” Mulan asked, looking Aurora straight in the eyes. 

“I mean, just because I lived a celibate life doesn’t mean everyone else did,” she said, avoiding Mulan’s eyes. 

“Aurora.” 

Mulan coaxed her to look her in the eyes by touching her hand. Aurora looked up and took a deep breath. 

“No, it does not bother me,” she finally said. 

“Would you tell me if it does?” Mulan asked softly. 

“Of course,” Aurora smiled at her. “I’m okay with it,” she said again. 

“Okay.” 

Mulan gave Aurora a quick kiss and Aurora responded immediately by placing her hand in Mulan’s neck. 

“We should get back,” Aurora whispered. 

“Yes,” Mulan agreed. 

They took the tray with coffee and tea back to their table and Aurora sat down next to Mulan’s father. As Mulan passed the beverages on, Mulan’s father bowed to Aurora. 

“You make her happy,” he whispered in her ear. 

Aurora looked up surprised at him and he nodded and winked at her before turning his attention to his coffee and his daughter. Blushing, Aurora grabbed her tea and saw that Mulan was indeed radiating happiness. Aurora looked at the man next to her and he caught her eye. 

“She makes me happy too,” Aurora told him and he smiled. 

He grabbed her hand and squeezed it. For the first time in a very long time, Aurora felt accepted. 

~~~

Regina woke up feeling sore. Her legs were burning when she turned around. Her hand moved across the bed in search of Emma’s body, but all she found was an empty spot next to her. Regina lifted her head and opened one eye; Emma’s side was vacated. She frowned. Where the hell had her idiot gone to now? Her eye fell on the alarm clock on Emma’s side and saw it was barely eight a.m. It was only then that Regina heard the shower run.   
She groaned as she tried to hold on to sleep, but her mind was already waking up. As she lay listening to the shower run, she thought about how crazy her life was right now. She was in Beijing, on the morning of their first-ever Olympic game, and she could call the most beautiful woman she had ever laid eyes on hers. She would be there when history was being made and she was so thankful to be a part of it. She opened her eyes when she heard the shower turning off and propped herself up on her elbows, waiting for Emma to emerge. When she finally did, she was clad in a towel that barely covered her legs. Regina almost started to drool at the sight, the muscles in Emma’s arms and legs popped up and Regina took in the sight. 

“Like what you see?” Emma teased, clearly she had seen Regina watching her. 

“I do,” Regina replied with a sultry voice. Emma smirked and turned to get some clothes, but Regina had crawled over to the bed and pulled her on it. “Who said you could get dressed?” she asked. 

“I can’t go out like this,” Emma responded with a smirk. 

“Who said you’re going out?” Regina replied. 

Emma was about to reply when Regina kissed her deeply. One of them moaned into the kiss and Regina wasn’t sure who it was, but it vibrated through her body and settled in her core. Ignoring her aching muscles, she climbed on top of Emma, removing the offending towel. She broke the kiss and swallowed as she watched the naked body beneath her.   
With a hand, she stroked the skin in Emma’s neck, between her breasts and rested on her stomach. She felt the muscles twitch under her fingers and, mesmerised, she took it all in. Sometimes she couldn’t believe this was real, couldn’t believe she had actually found happiness. 

“What are you doing?” Emma asked softly as she propped herself up a bit. 

“Just… admiring the view,” Regina replied hoarsely. 

“You like it?” Emma asked. 

“Mhm,” Regina nodded. 

Emma’s hand had travelled between them, covering her sex through the pyjama’s. Regina swallowed thickly, she needed more. She moved her hips, pushing into Emma’s hand. Emma smirked and let her hand disappear into Regina’s pants. Regina moaned when Emma’s finger touched the bundle of nerves first and slid down further. 

“I can feel that,” Emma whispered in Regina’s ear. 

She slipped one finger into Regina’s wetness and Regina bit her lip, resting her head against Emma’s forehead. Up until now, her hands had lain motionless on Emma’s hips. As Emma started stroking her, teasing her, Regina moved one of her hands in between them and soon found out how wet Emma was. With a nail, she scratched over Emma’s bundle of nerves and Emma cried out. Regina had to wrap her free arm around Emma to keep her steady. 

“More,” Emma begged, her eyes had glazed over. 

Regina decided to not tease her anymore as she felt the need as well. She plunged two fingers in Emma’s entrance, just when Emma added a second finger as well. Regina reached deep within Emma, knowing she liked that. Emma, on the other hand, started to twitch her fingers inside, making Regina go insane at the feeling. Both worked each other to their high. Regina rested her head on Emma’s shoulder to get more friction and move her hand even deeper. Emma was nibbling at Regina’s neck and Regina was sure it would leave a mark. She didn’t mind, she liked it when Emma did that. Emma suddenly jerked her fingers deeper, making Regina bite down on Emma’s collarbone. She pushed her fingers even deeper in Emma, feeling the blonde was close. Regina tried to delay her own orgasm, she wanted to come together. With one final push she sent Emma over the edge, she followed closely. Now Emma collapsed on the bed, Regina falling over her. Regina tried to help Emma ride out her orgasm as best as she could, while her own orgasm washed over her. Regina felt her breathing hitch and stars exploded behind her eyelids, Emma’s fingers were still twitching inside her. Finally, both of them went limp and Emma removed her fingers first. Emma licked them clean before Regina’s eyes and Regina didn’t think it was possible, but it turned her on immensely. Regina licked her own fingers clean, relishing in the taste of Emma’s nectar. She reminded herself she needed to go down on Emma, soon. Emma curled up in her arms, still stark naked. 

“I like this,” she murmured. 

“Me too,” Regina agreed. “Where did you go?” she finally wondered. 

“For a run,” Emma explained. “I like to do that before a big game, clears my mind,” she said. “Although, this works too,” she grinned, looking up at Regina. 

“I bet it does,” Regina chuckled and kissed her. 

Both of them drifted off to sleep, their morning activities had tired them. They surely would have been too late for the team meet if Zelena hadn’t woken them up. 

~~~

The stadium was roaring. Emma was standing in the hall leading to the ice and could just look into the stadium. It was filled to the brim with people and Emma spotted the red and blue from the British flag. The very first ice hockey game had been played before them and had just ended in a win for Japan.   
Emma walked back to the changing room. All the faces around her were tense, nerves were floating around the room. She had to admit, she felt nervous as well. Even more than when she was a speed skater. She would be on the ice for much longer now and now it wouldn't be just her fault if she lost. The added pressure of being here with a team that was expected to write history didn’t help either. All the eyes of the world were on them, they would not go down as a loser during their first time at the Olympics. Emma knew all of them were determined to win today, to make a good impression. 

“You’ve got an admirer,” Ivy said as she handed Emma a bouquet of flowers. 

Emma accepted them and searched for a card. She smiled when she found it. “It’s from Neal,” she said. 

“As in Neal Cassidy?” Victoria asked, suddenly appearing behind Emma. 

Emma spun around. “Yeah. He wishes us all the luck in the world.” 

“That’s sweet,” Regina smiled. 

“No, it’s not,” Victoria bristled, taking the bouquet out of Emma’s hands and dumping it in the nearest rubbish bin. “This is him trying to get you back.” 

“Victoria, don’t worry. I’m not going anywhere,” Emma said, eying the flowers. “I made my decision to leave years ago and I stand by it.” 

“Okay,” Victoria nodded, but Emma knew she wasn’t completely convinced. “Alright people, this is it! This is what we have worked for. Let’s show them all what we are made off and where we come from. Where do we come from?” 

“Great Britain!” everyone yelled. 

“Where do we come from?” Victoria repeated. 

“Great Britain!” everyone yelled at the top of their lungs. 

“Hell yes! Let’s crush them!” 

Cheering, they lined up, Regina upfront and closely followed by Emma. 

“Are you okay?” Emma asked Regina. 

Regina turned around and Emma saw Regina was looking pale and a bit greenish. “Would it be very bad if I threw up now?” Regina asked. 

“It will be fine,” Emma reassured her. “As soon as you’re on the ice, you’ll be fine.” 

“How can you be so calm?” Regina asked; the nerves were getting the better of her. 

“Oh, believe me, I’m not,” Emma chuckled. “I’m just as nervous as you,” she admitted. 

Regina nodded and looked up at Emma. “We can do this, right?” she asked. 

“We can.” 

A Kind Of Magic from Queen started blaring through the stadium, both Emma and Regina had found the song fitting as it was a kind of magic that had brought them here. Victoria and Killian had agreed on the song choice, Killian even suggested to use only Queen songs before their games. 

“For the very first time in all of the Olympic Winter-games history, I am proud to present the women’s ice hockey team from Grrreat Britain!” the announcer enthusiastically announced them. “This first timer and the biggest surprise of the Olympics is led by team captain Regina Mills!” 

The crowd went wild when Regina stepped into the spotlights. She waved at the crowd and started skating towards their hideout. 

“Next up a name we have heard before, but not with this discipline. She resigned a couple of years ago as a speed skater but decided she hadn’t had enough of the ice just yet. I’m talking about four times World Champion and three times gold medallist Emma Swan!” 

Emma grimaced at the introduction, she should have known they would use her history as a speed skater. She stepped into the spotlights as well, waving at the crowd she couldn’t see due to the sharp light, but she could hear them. They were chanting her name and she smiled as she skated over to Regina. 

“You have fans,” Regina teased with a smirk. 

“Soon enough you will have them too,” Emma replied. They watched as their other team members were announced as well, everyone got greeted with a big ovation. Emma saw one side of the stadium was filled with fans from Great Britain. She even spotted members of the Royal Family. Her eyes went big when she spotted the Queen. “Shit,” she muttered. 

“What?” Regina asked, looking up as well. Zelena was standing next to them by now and looked up as well. 

“What is it, Swan?” she asked. 

“The bloody Queen is here,” Emma pointed. 

“Shit!” Zelena swore. 

“No pressure at all,” Regina groaned. 

The Queen suddenly looked down at them and waved at them, holding up a thumb. They all waved back. 

“Holy guacamole,” Mulan breathed. “This is crazy.” 

Finally, the entire team was introduced and it was time for the Koreans to take the ice. They all got announced as well and Emma felt she was getting restless. She wanted to start playing. The Korean team entered while being accompanied by a popular K-pop song. Emma thought she heard it before, but wasn’t sure.   
After another 15 minutes of introducing the players, they were finally allowed to take their place on the ice. Regina went up for the power struggle after shaking hands with the referees and the other team captain. Emma realised how much more official these games were.   
The referee whistled and the game finally started. Regina won the power struggle and immediately passed it to Zelena, who had skated up to her right side. Zelena skated forward with the puck on her stick and Emma felt the adrenaline rush through her veins. She saw Regina looking better as well, her eyes shining with anticipation. Zelena ran into a block but managed to pass the puck off to Ivy. Ivy got circled by the Korean players and had no choice but to give up the puck. Emma watched as Ella set up a block with Elsa and Ashley. The Koreans lost the puck to Ashley, who immediately passed it to Regina. Regina sought contact with Emma, it was time to put some pressure on the game. Emma shot forward and saw the Korean players jumped at her approach. She grinned, her reputation had proceeded her. Good. Regina blew through the defence and passed Emma the puck. Emma aimed for the goal, but last minute decided to skate around the goal as the goalie saw her coming. Emma wanted to see how quick the goalie was. Apparently, not very quick as she managed to park the puck in the goal around the left corner. The stands erupted in cheers after that goal and Emma saw a small party was starting in the stands. She smirked, she felt so good now. Her team welcomed her, slapping her on the back. 

“Well done!” Merida beamed. 

“Thanks,” Emma smirked, the adrenaline was giving her a high. 

The game continued, with Korea having the puck. They were pissed and made a decent move to the goal. Belle kept the puck out of her net and Great Britain had the puck again. Merida had the puck and shot it to Ivy, who immediately shot forward. She evaded the players and made an attempt at the goal. The goalie stopped the puck with some difficulty and Emma made a mental note of that. She stopped Merida when she came skating back. 

“The goalie has a weak left, I think you can manage to score there,” she said. 

Merida looked back at the goalie and nodded. “Got it.” 

Emma nodded and concentrated back on the game. She blocked one of the players and saw Zelena had regained the puck back. Zelena shot forward and managed to score their second point, just before the referee signalled the first period was done.   
They retreated back to the locker room and Emma plopped down on a bench, grabbing a bottle of water. Victoria and Killian entered the room. 

“This is what I was talking about, ladies,” Victoria beamed. “We got them right where we want them. Keep this up and we sure will crush them!” 

Victoria leant against the wall as Killian explained the strategy for the second period. Emma was benched for the second period but she didn’t mind, she wanted to preserve her strengths for the more important games. She had confidence her team could handle Korea. Zelena was benched as well, Regina was on the ice. 

Regina groaned, her muscles were sore. 

“What’s up, sis?” Zelena asked, teasing. “Did Emma exhausted you?” she smirked. 

“Shut up,” Regina grumbled. 

Emma only grinned, shutting up wisely. She could still feel Regina’s fingers pushing inside her and thinking about it made her squirm. 

“Hey Mulan,” she said, trying to distract herself. “Have your parents arrived yet?” she asked. 

“They have,” Mulan beamed. “Me and Aurora had breakfast with them this morning and I think they are watching the game now.” 

“That’s great,” Emma smiled, wishing her parents and Henry were here. She looked aside at Regina and saw she was thinking the same. “I bet he is secretly watching us now,” she whispered, as she grabbed Regina’s hand. 

“I know,” Regina replied. “I miss him,” she said with a sigh. 

“I do too.” 

The second period started soon and Emma watched as Regina flew over the ice. She was everywhere at once and Emma loved watching her girlfriend. She was still revelling at the thought of having Regina fucking Mills as her girlfriend. 

“So, did you two even get some sleep?” Zelena asked next to her, grinning. 

“Will you pull your mind out of the gutter?” Emma asked, but smirked. “We’re not oversexed like you.” Zelena tried to smirk, but it turned more into a grimace than anything. “What?” Emma asked. 

“I tried to sleep with Ruby the other day, but…” Zelena’s voice trailed off, her eyes trained on the ice. 

“But?” Emma prodded softly. 

“I couldn’t do it,” Zelena sighed. “I told her about… you know what,” she whispered. 

“How did she react?” Emma asked, trying her hardest not to look at Ruby. 

“She was so sweet about it and understanding,” Zelena sighed. “She supports me in every decision I’m going to make about… youknowwhat.” 

“Then what’s the problem?” Emma asked. 

“August,” Zelena replied. “I have no idea how he will respond.” 

Emma nodded, she had no idea either. She knew August as very loyal and knew he wanted a family. But she didn’t think he wanted a family this way. She also knew August wouldn’t abandon his kid, no matter what. 

“There comes a point you have to tell him,” Emma noted. 

“I know,” Zelena nodded. 

Their attention got pulled to the ice when Mulan broke through the defence and made a beeline to the goal. She fooled the goalie and scored their third goal. The stands erupted in cheers and howling again. Mulan skated past them in the hideout, low fiving them. Emma caught Regina’s eye and saw she was content with how they were dominating the field today. Regina winked at her, catching her stare. Emma smirked. 

“You two are cute,” Aurora said next to her. 

“Thanks,” Emma said, ducking her head to hide her blush. “So are you and Mulan. How was it to meet her parents?” she asked as soon as she dared to look up. 

“Terrifying,” Aurora chuckled. “But they were very nice and friendly. I’m glad I got to meet them,” she added with a smile. 

Their attention got pulled to the game as the Koreans broke through the defence and scored their first goal. The Korean fans went wild as the Korean players celebrated. Regina came skating to the hideout. 

“We need a change,” she told Victoria, who nodded. 

Victoria made clear she wanted to change her players and quickly ordered Aurora, Lily and Ana to suit up. Regina, Ivy and Elsa came to the side and as soon as they left the ice the fresh players entered the ice. Regina sat down next to Emma who handed her a bottle. Regina accepted it and looked aside at her sister, frowning. 

“You okay?” she asked worriedly. 

“I am,” Zelena nodded and glanced up at the scoreboard. 

It was 3 to 1 in their favour and two minutes on the clock. The Koreans were taking the rebound, but Ana soon recovered the puck. She shot it back to Mulan, who immediately shot forward. The Koreans stopped her attempt at scoring and stole the puck. Once again they did a brave and solid attempt at scoring, but Belle stopped the shot. She threw the puck on the ice and passed it to Ana. Ana saw a chance and shot forward. Emma’s eyes popped, she had never seen Ana skate that fast. 

“Looks like she paid attention to you,” Regina remarked. 

Ana had a free field in front of her and stormed the goalie. She fooled the goalie and shot the puck in the high right corner, making their fourth goal. Soon after, the referee whistled the end of the second period. Ana was welcomed a hero, even Victoria beamed with pride. Emma knew why she was getting softer and it broke her heart. They retreated to the locker room, all exuberant. They all were convinced of their victory. 

“Ladies!” Victoria tried to get their attention. No one listened however and Victoria climbed onto one of the benches. “Ladies!” she bellowed. Slowly everyone stopped talking and turned to face her. “I know it feels like we’ve already won, but we have one more period to go. Let’s not let our guard down, let’s not be celebrating already. We’ve got to stay sharp. They’ve broken through our defence trice, let’s prevent a fourth time. No risk-taking,” Victoria lectured them. 

They nodded, she was right. They hadn’t won yet. Everyone knew the Koreans could come back, they were crazy enough to do so. Emma sat down next to Zelena, who looked a bit squeezy. 

“Are you sure you’re alright?” she asked softly. 

“Yeah,” Zelena nodded, but suddenly ran to the toilet to throw up. 

Victoria wanted to go after her, but Regina already stood up. 

“I’ll go.” 

Regina found Zelena crouched next to the toilet, dry heaving into the pot. Regina noticed she had already thrown up most of her stomach's contents. She grabbed a towel and wet it, then went over to Zelena and dabbed her face with the wet cloth. 

“Thanks,” Zelena whispered. 

“Feeling better?” Regina asked. 

“A bit,” Zelena replied. “I thought they called it morning sickness,” she complained. 

Regina chuckled and stroked Zelena’s hair out of her face. Victoria entered the bathroom and looked worried down at Zelena. 

“Hey, what’s wrong?” she asked worriedly. 

For a second, panic flitted over Zelena’s face, then she regained her posture. “Think I ate something bad,” she said. 

Victoria nodded and frowned. “You’re done for today,” she decided. “I’ll ask Killian to escort you back to the hotel and make sure you rest up.” 

Zelena nodded and sighed. “I’m sorry,” she said weakly. 

“It’s okay,” Victoria responded. “I had expected it would happen to one of us. Rest up, okay?” 

“I will,” Zelena nodded and stood up. 

“Regina, I want you on the ice with Emma,” Victoria said before she left the bathroom. 

“Okay.” 

The third period started and Regina had trouble concentrating. Now that Zelena was showing signs of morning sickness, hiding her pregnancy was starting to become a problem. They had to figure something out. The puck tapped her stick and Regina immediately shot into action. She was going to worry about Zelena later.   
She skated forward, puck securely on her stick. Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted Emma, ready to take the puck over if necessary. Regina spotted a hole in the defence and slipped through it. Using one of Emma’s tricks, she fooled the goalie and scored their fifth point. Once again the stands erupted in celebration and, smirking, Regina skated back to their half. If they kept this up, that gold medal was in the pocket. She knew they would face a few very strong teams, but she felt confident they could go far. The Koreans retaliated hard, broke through the defence and scored their second point. Regina shrugged it off and watched Emma take the puck from Ivy. Regina skated along with her and Emma passed her the puck. Regina eyed the clock, one more minute to go. She knew they didn’t need another goal, but she when she saw an opportunity, she took it. Emma saw it as well and followed her. They had decided to not open their trick box yet, leaving that to the more challenging games. So Regina went ahead and scored their sixth goal.   
The crowd on one side of the stadium went nuts and Regina loved it. She loved the ambience and she loved that she was here at the Olympics. She was enjoying herself thoroughly.   
The Koreans made another last attempt at scoring but never reached the goal as the referee whistled the end of the third period and thus the end of the game. Their team went completely nuts, they had just won their first-ever Olympic match! 

~~~

Zelena sighed as she stared up to the ceiling. Ruby had just texted her, letting her know they had won. Ruby had asked how she felt and if she was up to celebrating with them and Zelena had let her know that it might not be a good idea, seeing as Victoria thought she had food poisoning. Zelena already felt better while she walked back to the hotel. 

She groaned, this was becoming a problem. She looked down at her stomach, there was nothing to see yet. 

“Why couldn’t you have waited for a bit, little one?” she asked. 

She knew she needed to tell Victoria, especially if this ‘morning’ sickness would persevere. Victoria sure would become suspicious. Zelena sighed as she knew the chances were very real she would be sent home and she really didn’t want to. She grabbed the laptop and started to search for remedies… 

~~~

The Great Britain Women’s Ice Hockey team entered their country's house. It was stylishly decorated, the walls were covered with wooden brown planks giving it a warm feeling. There was a bar on the right and in the back of the room was a stage set up with a DJ playing. Lined against the walls were couches and tables and in one corner was a gaming area. The middle of the room was left open to make room for dancing. 

When they entered, loud cheering and cajoling went up, the room packed with people. 

“Looks like we’ve done something right,” Ivy joked as she looked around. 

Emma was liking Ivy more and more now that she was getting to know the girl better. She had a wicked sense of humour and left Emma in stitches more than once. 

“You could almost say so,” Ella chuckled. 

They mingled among the crowd, Emma always stayed near Regina and vice versa. 

“You guys CRUSHED them!” Maria hooted suddenly in her ear, beaming from ear to ear. 

“Maria! Thank you!” Emma smiled and hugged her friend. “It felt amazing.” 

“I bet,” Maria smiled. “And it put Trisha in a sour mood. She had hoped you would be eliminated after the first match.” 

Emma grinned and spotted the blonde-haired woman. She did look sour indeed. “Well, tough luck. We’re here to stay.” 

“Good on you, mate!” Neal clapped her on the back with a big smile. 

“Thanks!” Emma beamed. 

She waded through the mass of people, getting claps on her back and congratulations shouted at her. They really were starting to get famous now. Finally, she managed to reach one of the couches and plopped down. Ruby was sitting there as well, looking a bit lost. 

“Hey, what’s with you?” Emma asked worriedly. 

Ruby shrugged and sipped on her drink through a straw. “Zelena didn’t think it was a good idea if she came out to celebrate,” she finally answered. 

“No, I don’t think so either,” Emma nodded. “How is she?” 

“She says she’s feeling better,” Ruby replied. “But if it’s morning sickness, we have a problem.” 

“You don’t have to tell me,” Emma sighed. 

“How long did you manage to hide it?” Ruby asked curious, knowing of what went down when Emma was younger. 

One afternoon after training, Emma had told the entire team what had happened between her and Victoria and that Henry was her biological son. Everyone had shown sympathy and Emma was glad she had told them. 

“For about four months,” Emma said. “Then I started showing and was it game over for me. By the time I came clean to Victoria, it was too late to get an abortion.” 

“And then she kicked you off,” Ruby said. 

“No, she forced me to give up Henry,” Emma corrected. “I did because I was so scared. After I returned, I found I couldn’t work with her anymore. I resented her so much, I quit. Luckily, Neal was there to offer me a place on his team.” 

“What a bitch,” Ruby grumbled. 

“We will figure something out for Zelena,” Emma promised her. 

“Thanks,” Ruby smiled. “Thanks for helping us.” 

“Of course,” Emma smiled and looked back at the packed room. “This is crazy,” she said. 

“It certainly is,” Ruby agreed. “And I think it will become even crazier when we keep winning.” 

“I think they’ll tear down the place,” Emma chuckled. “I’m gonna get one of these as well,” she said as she nodded at the drink in Ruby’s hand. 

“Good luck out there,” Ruby smirked. 

Emma chuckled, got up, and disappeared into the crowd. 

~~~

Regina stood leaning against the bar, sipping her non-alcoholic drink. There was no alcohol within the Village and Regina thought that was a good idea. They all were athletes and, of course, they were allowed to party, but bringing alcohol in the mix could mess up their entire training schedule. Victoria would fly off the handle if any of them had a drop of alcohol.   
Regina looked at the crowd, she had lost sight of Emma halfway through so she had retreated to the bar. People that walked past her congratulated her and some of them hung around for a chat. Regina liked it, she had never felt included in the sport's world. They were always considered somewhat misfits as they never qualified for the Olympics. Last time they hadn’t even placed for Worlds. But now that they were here, people included them pretty easily and Regina felt at home amongst them. 

“There you are!” someone suddenly yelled in her ear. 

Regina looked up and found Ella standing behind her, beaming. “Ella,” she nodded. 

Ella walked past her and came leaning on the bar next to her. “Oh, come on. Are you still mad at me?” she asked. 

“I’m not mad,” Regina sighed. 

“Roni, how long have we known each other?” Ella questioned. “I know you’re mad because I embarrassed you in front of Emma.” 

Regina looked away from Ella. The blonde woman was right, she had felt embarrassed in front of Emma after Ella had asked who was a better fuck. 

“Okay, fine,” Regina gave in. “I’m still mad.” 

Ella hummed and ordered something to drink. “I’m sorry,” she said sincerely. “I shouldn’t have asked it like that.” Regina only huffed, avoiding Ella’s eyes. “Was she very pissed?” 

“No,” Regina replied. “She was actually very understanding. I just felt like a fool.” 

“I’m sorry, I really am,” Ella offered again. 

Regina looked up at Ella now with a smirk. “You’re forgiven,” she said. “I can never stay mad at you for very long.” 

“Good,” Ella smirked and they raised their glasses. 

“Ah, I see you two are talking again,” Emma said, who suddenly appeared next to Regina. 

“We are,” Ella nodded. 

Emma grinned and ordered something to drink as well. “But, I’m still curious,” she said as she hooked her arm through Regina’s. “Who is a better fuck?” she asked. 

Regina choked on her drink and Ella started laughing. “You want to know that now?” Regina asked, coughing. 

“Why not?” Emma shrugged. 

“Fine,” Regina said and sat down her glass. “You are,” she said as she looked at Emma. 

“Are you just saying that because you’re scared you won’t get laid again for the entirety of the Olympics?” Emma questioned with a raised eyebrow. 

“No,” Regina replied indignantly. “You’re the only one who managed to make my come with only your tongue,” she admitted. 

A shit-eating grin appeared on Emma’s face as Ella now choked on her drink. “Nice one, Swan,” Ella grinned. 

“Thank you,” Emma grinned back. 

Ella got pulled into another conversation soon after and Regina looked up at Emma with a sultry look. 

“How about you prove that again to me tonight?” Regina suggested casually. 

Emma bit down on her lower lip and looked up with hooded eyes. 

“It would be my pleasure, your majesty.”


	7. Back To The Past

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Omg, I'm sooo sorry you guys. I forgot to update last Wednesday. To make it up, I'll do a double update today. Again, I'm so sorry!  
> Thank you to all who have reviewed and left kudo's, they lighten up my day! I hope you all will enjoy the new chapters!

*Song: Mo Li Hua (Jasmine Flower)

Ruby woke up to the sound of someone throwing up. She rubbed the sleep out of her eyes and got up. She found Zelena kneeling in front of the toilet, clinging to the rim. Ruby sat down next to her and rubbed soothing circles on her back.

“Feeling bad again?” Ruby asked.

Zelena only nodded before she retched again. Ruby held back her hair and supported Zelena. Finally, Zelena leant back against Ruby, exhausted.

“I’m sorry,” she said hoarsely. “This isn’t very sexy.”

“You’ve never been sexier to me,” Ruby assured her and kissed her on the forehead.

“Don’t lie. I look horrible and I smell,” Zelena mumbled.

“You look beautiful,” Ruby assured her again. “And the smell we can do something about,” she teased her as she stood up. “Is it safe to stand?” she asked.

Zelena nodded and stood up as well. Ruby helped her undress and into the shower. Ruby stripped out of her clothes as well and joined Zelena in the shower. Tiredly, Zelena leant against her as the water warmed up.

“I’m never getting pregnant again,” she mumbled.

Ruby chuckled and pulled her closer. Zelena snuggled against her, relishing in the warm water. Ruby grabbed a washing cloth and some soap. She wet the cloth and squirted some of the soap on it. Then she set to work washing Zelena. She started with her back, rubbing circles on it. Zelena moaned at the feeling. Ruby tenderly moved down, washing her legs. Then she came back up and washed her arms, breasts and belly. She stopped when she reached Zelena’s sex.

“Do you want to do this part yourself?” Ruby asked softly.

“No,” Zelena shook her head. “You do it.”

Ruby nodded and gently washed Zelena between her legs. Zelena groaned and pushed her hips down on Ruby’s hand. Ruby grinned and looked up at Zelena.

“Are you sure that’s a good idea?” she asked, remembering Zelena had been hanging above the toilet not long ago.

“Yes,” Zelena replied. “I feel much better.”

“Okay.”

Ruby dropped the washing cloth to the ground and moved her hand back between Zelena’s legs. Zelena spread her legs to give Ruby more access. Ruby softly rubbed her clit, working Zelena up. Zelena threw her head back and Ruby pulled her close just in time before she would hit her head against the wall. The motion made one of Ruby’s fingers enter Zelena and Ruby felt how wet she already was. Quickly she added another finger, pushing in deep and hard. Zelena let out a guttural moan as she was being filled. Ruby kept her fingers utterly still, letting Zelena get used to the feeling. Zelena opened her eyes and looked Ruby straight in the eye when she moved towards Ruby’s neck and started to suck on Ruby’s pulse point. Ruby’s eyes rolled back in her sockets, that spot had always been sensitive. She almost forgot to move her own fingers which were inside Zelena until the redhead pushed her hips forward. Ruby woke up out of her daze and started to move agonizingly slow.

“Faster,” Zelena begged.

Ruby only smirked but didn’t fasten up her tempo. Zelena tried to persuade her by setting a deadly pace, but Ruby ignored her. Slowly, but surely she moved faster. Zelena’s hips moved along on the rhythm, trying to get more friction. She had let go of Ruby’s neck and her head rested against the cool tiles behind her, her eyes closed. Ruby had a perfect view of her neck and decided to return the favour, as she suspected Zelena had left a hickey. She latched her mouth to Zelena’s collarbone and started to suck as she was working Zelena’s pussy hard now. Zelena moaned and groaned, very close to an orgasm. Ruby decided it was enough and with one last hard push, she pulled Zelena over the edge. Zelena came undone in her arms, shivering all over. Ruby held her as the orgasm washed over her. After minutes, Zelena regained control over her limbs again and opened her eyes again.

“Welcome back,” Ruby smiled at her.

“Thank you,” Zelena sighed and kissed her gently. “I needed this.”

“You’re welcome,” Ruby replied and kissed her back.

They finished showering and Zelena plopped down on their bed. “Do you think Victoria suspects anything?” she asked.

Ruby shook her head. “I don’t think so,” she said. “Although she seems distracted,” she noted as an afterthought.

“I noticed as well,” Zelena nodded. “And she seems more emotional.”

“Yeah. I wonder what’s going on,” Ruby mused. “She may be a bitch, but she still brought us here.”

“I agree,” Zelena nodded and started to get dressed. “When do we need to be in the ice rink?” she asked.

“At 3 p.m. sharp,” Ruby said, looking at the schedule. “You sure you’re up for it?” she asked concerned.

“Yes,” Zelena nodded. “I feel much better now. Thanks to you.”

She walked over to Ruby and kissed her. “Any time, babe,” Ruby smiled.

~~~

Emma stretched out lazily while waiting for Maria. They had agreed on coffee the previous night and Maria had picked a very cute coffee place just outside the Village to meet.  
Even though Regina had seduced her last night, they both had fallen asleep as soon as their heads hit the pillows. Emma had woken up with Regina wrapped around her, softly snoring. Emma had looked at her for the longest time before she got up to go for her run. She hated that her body had grown restless, she would have much rather stay in bed with Regina. When she returned, Regina was already drawing up the next game plan against Japan and they had gone down together to get breakfast.

“Woodie!”

Emma looked up and saw Maria approaching her enthusiastically.

“Hey Maria,” Emma smiled and stood up to hug her.

“How are you after last night?” Maria smirked as she sat down, removing her sunglasses.

It was a beautiful day in Beijing, the sun was shining and the temperature was comfortable. Emma had seen the forecast and bad weather was coming their way with snowstorms and temperatures below freezing point.

“Good,” Emma smiled.

“I saw you leaving with Regina,” Maria said, wiggling her eyebrows.

Emma chuckled. “Yeah, we had big plans,” she said and shook her head. “But we fell right asleep.”

“Aaawwe, that’s too cute,” Maria smiled sincerely.

Emma ducked her head, hoping to hide her blush. “How have you been?” she asked.

“I’ve been good,” Maria said. “Busy. Neal runs a tight ship,” she added with a smile.

“Like always,” Emma noted. “I hadn’t expected you to be here again. Not thinking of retirement yet?” she asked.

Maria was about to answer when a waiter came over to their table. “What can I get for you ladies?” he asked with a dazzling smile.

“A latte machiatto, please,” Emma said.

“A chai latte for me,” Maria replied and the waiter noted it down.

“Coming right up,” he said before he walked away.

Emma looked back at Maria expectantly.

“Between me and you, this will be my last tournament ever,” Maria revealed. “Neal is thinking of retiring as well and I might be his runner up,” she added.

“No way!” Emma exclaimed. “That’s amazing. Congratulations!”

“Nothing is set in stone yet, but the talks have been promising,” Maria nodded. “I just hope I can go out with a bang here.”

“Knowing you, you will,” Emma said with a smile.

The waiter came back with their drinks and placed them on the table. Both ladies thanked him and Emma took the first sip of her hot coffee.

“Speaking of a bang, you guys nailed it yesterday,” Maria said and looked up at Emma. “What made you join the ice hockey team?” she asked

Emma sat down her coffee and shrugged. “Boredom, mostly. And I missed training and being on the ice.”

“You missed training?” Maria echoed. “You’re crazy.”

Emma chuckled. “Tell me about it. I even got August to train me to get back in shape.”

“No way, old Pinocchio. How is he doing?” Maria asked.

“Good. He owns a pub in London,” Emma told her. “I’m actually his partner.”

“Nice!” Maria nodded. “Give him my best.”

“I will,” Emma nodded and took another sip of her coffee.

In silence, they enjoyed the hustle and bustle of the city. Maria finished her tea and set it back down on the table.

“Why don’t you join us for training?” she suggested. “To see if you can still keep up with us,” she winked cheekily.

Emma set down her empty glass and looked thoughtfully out onto the city. It was true that she missed speed skating. She didn’t miss the competitive aspect of it, she had found the environment toxic. Yet this invitation was tempting, she was curious to see if she still had it.

“Okay,” she finally said and looked back at Maria. “That sounds like fun.”

“Great!” Maria exclaimed. “Let’s get going then.”

Maria rose to her feet and left the money on the table. Emma looked up at her startled.

“What? Now?” she asked surprised.

“No time like the present, dearie,” Maria winked.

“Okay.”

Emma stood up and followed her friend back into the Village.

~~~

Mulan looked up from the tv when Aurora entered their hotel room. Mulan smiled, she was so glad to have this beautiful woman in her life.

“Had a good work out?” Mulan asked as Aurora plopped down on the bed.

“I did,” Aurora nodded and leant back to give Mulan a kiss. “I ran into your parents downstairs, by the way,” she said as she kicked off her shoes.

“You did?” Mulan perked up.

Aurora nodded. “They were on their way to go watch curling, I think.”

Mulan chuckled. “God knows how much they like curling.”

“I never understood that sport,” Aurora thought out loud.

“Me neither,” Mulan said. “Dad tried to explain it, but the point of the sport completely eludes me.” Aurora nodded and was about to stand up when Mulan pulled her back on the bed. “Where do you think you’re going?” she asked with a smirk, pulling Aurora closer to her.

“Shower?” Aurora chuckled.

“Without asking me, missy?” Mulan questioned, her voice dropped several octaves.

It was only when Mulan noticed Aurora was trembling in her arms and had her eyes closed, Mulan realised she had made a huge mistake. As soon as she had let go of Aurora, the brunette leapt off the bed and curled up in the corner of the room.

“I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I’m sorry,” Aurora whispered as she rocked back and forth.

“Shit,” Mulan muttered under her breath and cautiously stood up from the bed.

She slowly walked to Aurora and knelt before her. Aurora didn’t look up, she was completely sucked into her own scary world. Mulan didn’t dare touch her, scared it would send Aurora even deeper. For a moment she panicked, she had not thought this through. She took a deep breath and sat Indian style before Aurora. Softly, she started humming a famous Chinese children’s song, hoping it would soothe Aurora. After the first tones left her mouth, Aurora stopped muttering. Mulan decided to start singing the song, seeing it reached Aurora.

_Hǎo yī duǒ měilì de mòlìhuā_   
_hǎo yī duǒ měilì de mòlìhuā_   
_fēnfāng měilì mǎn zhīyá_   
_yòu xiāng yòu báirén rén kuā_   
_ràng wǒ lái jiāng nǐ zhāi xià_   
_sòng gěi bié rénjiā_   
_mòlìhuā ya mòlìhuā._

Halfway through the second time Mulan sung the song, Aurora uncurled and, though her eyes were still unfocused, Mulan dared touch her. She kept singing until Aurora had crawled in her arms, crying. Mulan had tears streaming down her face as well, not believing how stupid she had been.

“I’m so sorry,” she whispered in Aurora’s hair.

Aurora held on tighter and Mulan rubbed her back soothingly, still singing the song. Slowly Aurora lifted her head and Mulan saw her eyes were focused again.

“I’m sorry,” Aurora whispered, reaching up to dry Mulan’s tears.

“No, I am sorry,” Mulan replied, swallowing hard. “I should have known better.”

“It’s not your fault,” Aurora said, her face scrunched up in confusion.

“But it is,” Mulan protested. “I should have known how fragile you are , I should have known the damage he did to you.”

“Yes, what he did,” Aurora nodded. “Not what you did. You’ve been my light in the darkness. You did nothing wrong.”

“I triggered you,” Mulan said with a small voice.

Aurora nodded. “But you didn’t do it on purpose.”

Mulan finally glanced up at Aurora, meeting her steady eyes. “Will you forgive me?” she whispered.

“Always.”

Aurora kissed her tenderly, still holding on tight to Mulan. She broke the kiss and tiredly rested her head on Mulan’s shoulder.

“Do you want to tell me what happened?” Mulan asked quietly. “So I know how I can prevent this from happening again.”

Aurora stayed quiet for a long time and Mulan was scared she had asked too much.

“I think it was your voice,” Aurora started to tell softly. “Whenever he would get angry, his voice dropped. It was always a sign for me that I crossed the line.”

“I’m so sorry,” Mulan said again, feeling tears were threatening to well up again.

Auroral lifted her head again and looked Mulan in the eyes. “Hey, we already established it wasn’t your fault.”

“I know,” Mulan nodded. “But I still feel guilty.”

Aurora sighed and kissed her again. “I know and I am sorry for being so broken,” she said.

“Don’t say that. It’s not your fault,” Mulan protested.

“And neither is it your fault that you triggered me. There’s only one man to blame for all of it,” Aurora stated confidently.

“True,” Mulan nodded. She stroked Aurora’s hair out her face, studying her beautiful face. Now that she was finally able to be who she wanted to be, she looked so beautiful. Her eyes shone with excitement and confidence and Mulan figured that she liked Aurora’s eyes the best. She felt she could look into her soul and it was so gorgeous. “How about that shower?” she suggested.

“Sounds like heaven,” Aurora nodded. Mulan stood up and lifted Aurora up in her arms. “I can walk, you know?” Aurora protested.

“Shush,” Mulan smirked and carried her into the shower, closing the door effectively behind them.

~~~

Emma stepped onto the ice, Maria had loaned her a pair of speed skating skates. Emma had to get used to how tight these were and felt a bit unstable. After a few strokes, she found the balance again and she marvelled at how much speed she was already gaining.

“Look what the cat dragged in,” Neal grinned and hugged Emma. “Missed us?” he asked.

“Like a sore thumb,” Emma joked. “No, I thought I'd try and see if I still have it.”

Neal nodded and gave her a quick look over. “Still got the stance, but a bit sloughed. Are those goonies butchering you?” he joked.

“Need to have the stick on the ice, not above it,” Emma threw back.

“What do you think about joining us in a warm-up and a little competition after?” he suggested. “You versus Maria.”

Emma smirked and glanced at Maria, who was also smirking. “Sounds like a plan.”

“Alright.”

Neal blew his whistle and the team gathered. Emma caught Trisha’s glance, she looked back with an arrogant look. Emma chuckled and shook her head, some things never change. Neal had them skating slowly around the track, warming up their muscles. Emma fell back into the rhythm soon enough, her muscle memory kicking back. Halfway through the warm-up, someone hastily entered the ice rink. Emma glanced up, she recognised him immediately. Graham Humbert. She hadn’t even thought about him being here.

_Shit._

Graham exchanged a few quick words with Neal and then joined them with the warming up. Emma tried to be invisible, avoiding him. She failed miserably of course, as he soon skated next to her.

“Do my eyes deceive me or is Emma Swan warming up with us again?” he asked with a dazzling smile.

“They do not, and I am,” she responded. “I thought you never wanted to talk to me again?” she asked him coldly, not having forgotten what he had said that faithful night.

Graham sighed. “I was young and foolish. I am sorry.”

“Fourteen years too late, buddy,” Emma threw at him and sped up, skating away from him.

Soon she found Maria, who apparently had seen what happened. “Was he bothering you?” she asked worried, seeing Emma’s face.

“No,” Emma sighed. “He’s just fourteen years too late.”

Maria nodded understanding. “If it consoles you, he hasn’t exactly ‘Longbottomed’.”

Emma chuckled at that, she had noticed it as well. To be honest, he was starting to look old. His hair was greying and he was getting wrinkles. Emma had read some gossip stories about Graham over the years and every time his alcohol use was brought up. Neal whistled, signalling the end of the warming up.

“Time for a little competition,” he said. “Let’s see if Emma still has it.”

“Doubt it,” Trisha sneered. “Ice hockey is for lazy people.”

Emma was about to reply, but Graham beat her to it. “Shut it, Barbie.”

Trisha sent him a death glare but kept her mouth shut. Graham nodded at Emma, but Emma frowned. He wasn’t getting away with it that easily. Emma skated towards the start line, Maria followed her suit. Emma glanced aside, even when they were training together back in the day, she had never beat Maria. Emma doubted she would win now, but she didn’t mind. This wasn’t about winning, it was about the good old days.

“See you at the finish,” Maria winked at her.

“Alright, five laps each,” Neal said and both ladies nodded. “Get ready, set, go!”

Emma pushed off, almost losing her footing, but found her balance back soon. She skated as hard as she could, crouching down low to get more leverage on the ice. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Maria already at the first turn. Emma turned it up a notch and managed to win a few metres. She skated right behind Maria after the first turn. She made long, strong strokes and managed to pull up next to Maria. She struggled to keep her breathing even, she hadn’t done this in a long time.  
They arrived at the second turn next to each other, but as Maria had the inside turn, she escaped to the front. Emma bit down and tried to catch up. Soon they reached the point where they switched lanes and this went smoothly. Emma gained a few metres at the next turn but still didn’t manage to surpass Maria. With long, strong strokes, Maria skated further and further away. Emma was too stubborn to give up and struggled through the remaining four laps. Surprising enough, she kept close to Maria. With a few last strong strokes, Emma crossed the finish. Gasping for air she slid over the ice, high fiving Maria.

“Well done, Swan,” Maria gasped. “You actually made me work for it.”

“I… did?” Emma gasped.

Maria nodded with a smile, trying to catch her breathe. Emma grinned and Neal approached her with a big grin. “Just underneath your record,” he told her.

“No way,” Emma said, glancing at the stopwatch. The numbers weren’t lying, it was just underneath her personal record. “Damn,” she said. “I thought I would die.”

“Then you know you did it right,” Neal smirked. “Glad I trained you well.”

Emma smirked and sat down on the bench in the middle of the rink. Neal started the actual training now, riding his team hard. Emma watched and realised she had missed this. She had always liked to train under Neal. He was strict but fair, didn’t take bullshit but knew straight away when something was really wrong with you. He was so different from Victoria that Emma hadn’t regretted her transfer for a second.

Her mind wandered to Victoria, the older woman had pulled her aside that morning. She’d had a call from her doctor, telling her tumour was growing faster then they had anticipated. Emma had urged her to tell her daughters, but Victoria had shaken her head.

“Not yet.”

Emma had given up pushing but had asked Victoria to tell them before it was too late. Victoria had promised she would.

Emma startled when her phone in her pocket vibrated. She pulled it out and saw she had a text from Regina.

_**Regina:** Where the hell are you? B. is losing her shit._

“Shit,” Emma muttered.

_**Emma:** On my way! Love you._

_**Regina:** Hurry! Love you too!_

Emma put her phone back in her pocket and made her way to Neal.

“Hey,” he greeted her as he kept watching his team.

“I’ve got to go,” she said. “Victoria is going to kill me.”

Now he looked up and nodded. “It was good to see you back,” he smiled and hugged her.

“I liked being back. Good luck!”

She waved at Maria and left the ice rink. She quickly changed and dashed to the ice hockey rink. Luckily, it was close and she quickly changed into her ice hockey gear. Her feet thanked her for slipping into her comfortable skates and soon she stepped onto the ice.

“Swan!”

Emma cringed as Victoria called her out and she skated over to her coach. The entire team stopped their warm-up, some of them looked pissed.

“Sorry I’m late, coach,” Emma offered, hoping Victoria would let it go.

“Where the hell have you been?” Victoria roared.

No such luck.

“I was invited to join a training with the speed skating team,” Emma admitted, deciding to be honest about her where abouts.

“What??” Lilly exploded.

“Does that mean you’re going to abandon us?” Ashley asked incredulously.

“Of course not,” Emma immediately defended herself. “I’ve been training with them for a big part of my life and I missed them. And I missed speed skating. Is that so weird?” she went off, she was tired of the doubts of her team. “I made a decision leaving speed skating and I still stand by that decision. I never said I would also cut ties with the friends I made there.”

“I think Emma has every right to visit her old team,” Regina stepped forward. “I would do the same.”

Emma glanced thankfully at Regina, who gave her an encouraging nod.

“I’m committed to this team and I never break a commitment,” Emma continued. “This was just a fun reunion with old friends. Nothing more.”

Some of the team murmured, still looking a bit pissed.

“Emma has proven her worth for the team over and over. I think we owe her some trust.”

Emma looked up surprised when Victoria said that. The older woman gave her a small smile and Emma mouthed ‘Thank you’ at her. Lilly stepped forward, looking regretful.

“You’re right. I’m sorry,” she said.

“It’s alright, I get your concern,” Emma said. “Let’s go train?” she suggested.

Victoria agreed and sent them back onto the ice. Emma grabbed her stick and joined in on the warming up. She took it easy as her muscles already were warmed up. Maybe it hadn’t been a good idea to do different trainings back to back, but what happened, happened.

“How was it to be back?” Lilly suddenly asked next to her.

“Amazing,” Emma admitted. “I missed the team, I miss training under Neal. I don’t miss the competitions and the toxic environment,” she added.

“I’ve heard that before, from other speed skaters,” Lilly nodded.

“I’m glad I’m here with you guys,” Emma smiled sincerely.

“And we’re glad to have you with us,” Lilly smiled back. “And I’m sorry for being so hard on you. It’s just… you made us better. I would hate to lose you to those stuck ups.”

Emma chuckled. “Don’t worry about it, I’m not going anywhere.”

“Good.”

With that, Lilly skated off.

Victoria and Killian rode them hard, they had to prepare to meet the next team, Japan. Emma wasn’t worried about that game, there would be bigger teams coming their way. Yet Victoria rode them hard as if they would meet Canada the next game. At the end of the training, everyone returned to the locker room exhausted.

“Belfrey is giving me whiplash,” Ella complained. “One moment she’s as sweet as a kitten, the next she’s a bloody roaring tiger.”

Emma and Regina exchanged a glance, they both had an idea of what could be the cause of that.

“Victoria just wants us prepared,” Regina said. “And she’s always been a bitch during training,” she added. “Sorry, Ivy and Ana,” she said as she looked at the girls.

“None taken,” Ivy replied. “She has been having wicked mood swings lately,” she said concerned.

“Maybe we should talk to her,” Ana thought out loud.

“Have you ever seen mom open up to us?” Ivy asked sarcastically.

“No, but it’s worth a shot,” Ana shrugged, pulling on her sweater.

Ivy nodded. “True. Let’s try it later.”

Emma had to bite down on her tongue and prayed to whatever God was out there that Victoria would be honest.

“Ready to go?” Regina asked softly.

Emma nodded and grabbed her duffel bag with her. Side by side, hands not quite touching, they walked outside. The cold air bit them in the face and Emma suspected the bad weather was coming sooner then they had expected.

“Thanks for supporting me in there,” Emma said as she put her hands in her pockets.

“Of course,” Regina said. “I hope I didn’t do it in vain, though,” she added.

Emma stopped walking and Regina turned to face her.

“You really think I would abandon you guys?” she asked incredulously.

Regina shrugged and looked down. “I don’t know, Emma. You had this glow over you when you came back,” she said softly.

Emma stepped closer and made Regina look at her. “I’m not going anywhere. Yes, it was fun to speed skate again. Yes, it was great seeing everyone. But I will never return to the speed skating circus. I’m past that. I went a new direction and that’s with you guys. I love ice hockey and I love you,” she said, holding Regina’s stare.

“I love you, too,” Regina whispered.

“Good,” Emma smiled and kissed her softly. “Let’s get inside before our buttocks freeze off.”

Regina smirked and grabbed Emma’s hand. She didn’t care if people saw it, she needed to have physical touch with her girlfriend. Emma held on tight as they walked back to their hotel.

“Do you know who is here as well?” Emma asked when they settled on the bed.

“The pope?” Regina deadpanned.

Emma chuckled and shook her head. “Close, but no. Graham Humbert,” she said.

Regina nodded. “I knew that. I saw he classified. Is he an ex of yours?” Regina asked with a frown.

It was only then that Emma realised Regina didn’t know how Graham was connected to them.

“Yes,” Emma nodded. “And not only that, he is Henry’s biological father.”

Regina looked at her, her mouth slightly open…


	8. Decisions

Emma looked at the clock, there were four minutes left of the second period. She was on the ice with Regina by her side; they were facing Japan and they were a difficult opponent to beat. During the break, she and Regina had discussed using their tricks, but they had decided against it for now.  
Emma watched as Mulan broke through the defence and she was glad for the lithe woman. She seemed to slither through the defence more easily, but she didn’t manage to score. The Japanese goalie was a bear of a woman and remarkably quick. Mulan skated back, shaking her head.

“That woman is a bloody wall,” she complained.

Emma nodded, she had seen it as well. Their only hope would be if the goalie was switched out. She glanced aside at Regina who looked hell-bent on winning. Emma glanced to her right, seeing the referee was discussing something with one of the Japanese players. Emma skated over to Regina.

“Are you sure we shouldn't pull open our trick box yet?” Emma asked, removing her mouthguard.

Regina nodded. “It’s not the right time yet,” she replied.

“Okay,” Emma nodded and put back her mouthguard.

The game continued with the Japanese taking the rebound. Emma was on the move immediately, trying to steal the puck. The Japanese forward was too smart and passed her, leaving Emma bristling. She started to pursue her and, along with Mulan, Emma managed to steal the puck. She immediately passed it off to Regina, who sped forward. Emma watched her go, impressed; the brunette had been training on her speed. She was two times faster than when Emma started at the Streatham Storm. Regina managed to break through the defence line and skated around the goal. Emma chuckled, Regina was using the trick box now. It didn’t matter though, the goalie saw through her move and stopped the puck before it crossed the line. Regina skated back towards their half.

“Fuck,” she swore.

“Think we got to think of something more clever than that,” Zelena said and Emma agreed.

The Japanese attacked their defence again, but Ella intercepted the puck just in time. She passed it to Mulan, who made another attempt. Emma skated along with her, hoping to be of assistance. Mulan was pushed hard against the boarding, the puck stolen. Anger raged through Emma and she chased the other player, repaying the favour for Mulan. Luckily, the referee let it slide and Emma skated off with the puck. Adrenaline made her fly and she broke through the defence. Without stopping she skated straight for the goalie and for the first time this game, Emma saw a bit of fear flickering in the eyes of the goalie. She stopped at the last possible second, shooting the puck between the legs of the goalie, scoring their first point. The alarm above the goal blared and, cheering, Emma skated back towards their half.

“That one's for you, Mulan!” she yelled at Mulan, who smiled brightly.

The stands erupted in cheers and applause. Emma was welcomed by her team with pats on her back and a hug from Regina. Soon after, the referee whistled, the second period was done.  
They made their way back to the locker room and Emma saw the Japanese coach looked pissed. This made her smirk even wider, they were getting under their skin.

“I think our advantage is that everyone underestimates us,” Ruby stated when she said down.

“Well, if we keep winning, we’ll lose that advantage pretty soon,” Regina remarked. “But you’re right. For now, they're underestimating us.”

“We should enjoy it while it lasts,” Emma chimed in, grabbing two water bottles and handing one to Regina.

“Hey, and me?” Zelena protested when Emma sat down next to Regina.

“You’ve got your own girlfriend now,” Emma smirked.

Zelena flipped her off and looked up when Ruby handed her a bottle of water. “Emma just beat me to it,” Ruby shrugged.

“Thanks, babe,” Zelena smiled.

In the corner, Lily pretended to throw up in the waste bin next to her, making everyone laugh.

“You’re just jealous,” Ruby said with a lopsided smirked.

“Of that?” Lily asked. “Nope, way too sweet for me.”

“You just wait until you find your person,” Regina smiled softly, stroking Emma’s hand absentmindedly.

“Maybe I don’t want that,” Lily replied, looking rebellious at Regina.

“Well, that’s fine too,” Regina replied. “As long as you're happy.”

Lily grumbled and pulled back into her shell. Emma frowned, something was going on with Lily. She was about to stand up and walk over when Killian entered the locker room.

“Where’s Mum?” Ana asked.

“Oh, she was talking with Gold on the phone,” Killian said absentmindedly as he flipped through the playbook and looked up. “Alright, I know we are one point ahead of them, but we can get more out of this. They are wobbling now and we need to topple them,” he said as he closed the playbook.

“And how do you suggest we do that?” Ella asked.

“By keeping our head in the game and not starting to celebrate yet,” Killian said. “We still got one more period to go.”

“Copy that,” Ella nodded.

Killian went through the gameplay, the tactics hadn’t changed much. He had tightened up the defence a bit and put Emma and Regina on the ice for the last period.

“Are you guys up for it?” he asked, looking at Regina and Emma.

Both of them nodded, they wanted to see this through. Emma looked aside at Regina as Killian went on with his gameplay.

“Trick box?” she asked again.

“Yeah,” Regina nodded. “Let’s do it.”

Emma nodded but didn’t look away. “Are you okay?” she asked softly.

“Why wouldn’t I be?” Regina asked, but knew why Emma asked.

“Well, you didn’t say much after I told you who Henry’s dad is,” Emma said.

“Not much to say apart from that he is an asshole,” Regina replied, swallowing.

To be honest, the revelation had rattled her. She had met Graham once or twice during a fundraising event and he had seemed nice enough. Now that she thought about it, she could see a few resemblances between him and her son. But what had rattled her the most was his reaction towards Emma after she had told him about the pregnancy. Emma had told her everything and Regina could see it still was hurting her. And she didn’t like seeing Emma hurt, it made her want to hurt whoever had harmed Emma. She hadn’t realised how protective she had grown over Emma until now.

“Agreed,” Emma nodded. “It’s just, you haven’t said much about it.”

“I…” Regina started but got interrupted by Killian. It was time to go back to the game. “Later,” she promised Emma.

“Okay,” Emma nodded. “As long as you’re not mad at me,” she said as she gathered her helmet, mouthguard and stick.

“I’m not, babe,” Regina said and gave her a quick hug. “I love you,” she told Emma.

“I love you, too.”

They stepped onto the ice for the last period, the crowd cheering them on. Emma gritted her teeth, she saw the same goalie was back and the Japanese looked pissed as hell. It would be difficult to keep them out of their goal. Emma looked back at Ruby, she looked ready to slaughter everyone who came near her domain and wasn’t on her team.

_Good._

Regina went up for the power struggle and won. She passed the puck off to Zelena and Emma immediately jumped behind Zelena. Along with Regina, she formed a front and broke through the defence. Zelena passed the puck back to Emma but a small Japanese player slithered between them and intercepted it. Emma stared after her, this had never happened.

“Shit,” she heard Regina swear next to her.

“After her,” Zelena growled and sped after the Japanese woman.

The Japanese woman managed the slither through the defence and was suddenly eye to eye with Ruby. Ruby’s eyes blazed and were glued at the Japanese woman. She took the shot and Ruby caught it in her glove. Emma let out the breath she had been holding, that was close. The Japanese player skated back and Emma saw the pissed look on her face.  
Ruby passed the puck quickly to Elsa, who took it around the goal and skated forward. She passed it to Zelena, who attempted another goal, which got stopped. Bummed, she skated back.  
The game went on with neither of the teams scoring. Eventually, the referee whistled end of the game. Tired and not completely satisfied despite their win, the GB team retreated to the locker room.

“They knew the goddamned trick,” Emma raged, throwing her helmet through the locker room.

“Emma, calm down,” Regina said, trying to get Emma to sit.

“No, I won’t fucking calm down. They knew!” Emma raged on.

“Of course they knew,” Ella intercepted. “They did their homework, just like we did.”

“It’s not fair,” Emma moped. “It’s our best trick.”

“Did you really think you could keep it a secret?” Ella asked incredulously.

“No,” Emma murmured. “Well, at least for a bit longer.”

She sighed and retrieved her helmet.

“We won, Emma,” Regina reminded her.

“I know,” Emma replied. “But why does it feel so bittersweet?” she asked.

“Because it was a very close win,” Victoria answered for her. Emma startled, Victoria looked sickly pale and tired. It also looked like she had dropped a few pounds. Emma glanced at Regina and saw she had seen it too. They exchanged worried glances. “We really got to step up our game, ladies,” she continued. “The teams we will meet will only get tougher from now on. I want you all in the ice rink tomorrow morning at six a.m.”

The entire team groaned, but Victoria didn’t bulge. Without another word, Victoria left the locker room. Emma had half a heart to go after her but decided against it as Killian was with her.

“She didn’t look good,” Regina whispered.

Emma shook her head and started to strip her gear down. “I think it’s worse than we think.”

Despite the fact that Emma thought Victoria was a monster, she also didn’t think the older woman deserved this faith…

~~~

Victoria stood above in the now dark ice rink in the referee box, overlooking the ice. She had her back to the door, thinking she was alone. She was so proud of her girls, they had fought like lions. Killian had told her about the quiet debate between Emma and Regina and Victoria was glad the two had worked it out. They worked better if they weren’t fighting.  
Victoria rubbed her temple, her head was killing her. She chuckled dryly, it wasn’t even a joke. She hadn’t told Emma the details about her cancer, but about four months ago she had gone to the doctor because her headache wouldn’t go away and she was experiencing bad sight. Her general practitioner had sent her to the hospital and they had done a scan of her head. She had gotten an immediate response, the doctor at the hospital told her she had a tumour in her head the size of a tennis ball and there were several other spots visible on the scan, it had already spread. She had needed to stay right away for treatment. Victoria hadn’t believed him at first, refusing to stay, until she saw the CT-scan. It was right there, in the front and pressing down on her right eye nerve. A few weeks after the initial diagnosis, her oncologist had called her in and sat her down. He had told her straight up that there was no cure for this type of tumour, especially since it had spread. Every treatment would only serve to prolong her life with a couple of months. She had asked what it would entail and when she heard she would most likely spend the last months of her life tied to a bed in a hospital, she had declined the treatment. She would much rather die with dignity, thank you very much.  
Up until now, she had managed to keep it hidden from everyone around her, but today the light was hurting her right eye and she knew this was the beginning of the end. Her oncologist had warned her this could happen and if it did, she had to wear an eyepatch. Now, in the dark, it was bearable. A few days ago she had noticed a slight tremor in her left hand and her left leg was sometimes refusing to carry her weight.  
Victoria fought the tears that were welling up in her eyes, it was time she told her girls. Behind her, the door opened and someone entered. Victoria didn’t react as she already knew it was Killian.

_Killian._

He had become like a son to her. She had seen him for the first time training with the Hull Pirates when she had taken up coaching the team. Over the years she had seen him grow and he had even been shortlisted for the National Ice Hockey Men’s team. Then fate had stricken and Killian had been injured gravely during a game. He had busted his knee and would never be able to play professionally. He’d shown up every practice after that to prove the doctors wrong but, eventually, he had to admit defeat. Victoria had taken him under her wing and had taught him everything about coaching that she knew. She was certain he was more than capable to take over for when she was gone.

_Gone._

It sounded so permanent. Victoria swallowed and turned to face Killian. He hadn't said a word ever since he entered, he'd probably sensed she needed the space.

“Can you do something for me?” Victoria asked quietly.

“Of course,” Killian nodded. “Is everything okay?” he asked, not able to contain his concern.

Victoria took a deep breath and shook her head. That caused white-hot pain shooting through her head and she squeezed her eyes shut until the pain subsided. “Can you please get my girls?” she asked. “I need to talk to them…and you,” she added.

“Right away,” Killian nodded, eyeing her worried.

Victoria waited until she heard the door close before she opened her eyes and pulled out a bottle with painkillers out of her pocket. She stared at the bottle and decided against taking them. She needed, wanted, to do this with a clear head.  
She sat at the table, fiddling with one of the coasters. She thought back about the days when her daughters were born, they were the happiest of her life. Victoria swallowed thickly, she hated that she had to leave them behind. She didn’t worry about Ivy, she would manage. But Ana, sweet Ana, she was so young and innocent still. Victoria wiped away the tears that had silently fallen down when she heard footsteps outside the hall. She needed to do this as calmly and swiftly as she could.  
The door swung open and Ivy and Ana stepped inside the still dark room. Killian closed the door behind them and stood next to Ana.

“Mum?” Ivy asked, stepping forward. “What’s going on?” she asked, worry written over her face.

Victoria swallowed against the lump in her throat and stood up, knuckles leaning on the table in front of her.

“There is something I need to tell you,” she started, looking at the three people in front of her she considered the ones she loved the most…

~~~

Regina plopped down on the bed with her iPad in hand. Emma had gone out to return the speed skating skates she had borrowed from Maria, so Regina had some time to herself. She checked the time in the UK and figured she could call Henry now, as it was 8 in the morning for him and he was most certainly up because he had school. She clicked open Facetime and rung him. Soon enough he picked up and his sleepy face appeared in the screen.

“Good morning my prince,” she smiled at the screen and her heart ached. She missed him so much.

“Hi mom,” he waved and smiled. “Saw you guys won again last night,” he said.

“We did, but it was close,” Regina smiled and settled in the cushions behind her.

“I’m going to watch it after school,” he told her. “How is Beijing?” he asked.

“Cold,” Regina replied. “We haven’t seen much of the city as we are locked up in the Village pretty much, but what I’ve seen of it was very beautiful.”

“Cool,” Henry smiled.

“How have you been?” Regina asked curiously.

“Good! Me and Amanda visited Mary Margaret and David this weekend, it was really great to meet them. They were so kind to me and they offered to pick me up from school on Friday,” Henry told her, he was beaming. “I finally got to see Hans’ room and meet Gretel. She’s really nice.”

“That’s good to hear,” Regina smiled at him.

“Where is Emma?” Henry asked curiously, trying to look next to Regina.

“She’s out, meeting a friend,” Regina replied. “She’ll be back soon.”

Henry nodded and looked away. He nodded again and looked back at the screen. “I miss you,” he said with a sigh.

“I miss you too,” Regina replied, fighting down her tears. “And Emma does too.”

“I miss her, too,” Henry said, looking almost guilty.

Regina looked up and listened to hear if Emma was approaching the room yet. She looked back at the screen.

“There’s something I would like to discuss with you,” she said with a serious tone.

“Yes?” Henry asked, frowning slightly.

“What do you think of the idea of Emma adopting you?” she asked, her heart hammered in her chest.

“Really?” Henry perked up with a big smile. “But, she’s my biological mother. Does she have to adopt me then?” he asked.

“I asked our firm lawyer and he said that if she signed away every right to you, which she has, she has to adopt you to become your mother by law,” Regina quickly explained, remembering what Rodger had told her just before she had left for Beijing.

Henry nodded thoughtfully. “Have you talked to her about it yet?” he asked.

Regina shook her head. “Not yet. I wanted to talk to you first.”

“Go for it,” he beamed. “I’ll bet she’ll say yes.”

“You think so?” Regina asked uncertainly.

“She’s already practically living with us and she’s head over heels with me, so I don’t see why not,” Henry said with a deadly serious face. “Oh, and I think she likes you, too,” he added casual, but his cheeky grin betrayed him.

Regina laughed and shook her head. “You little rascal,” she smirked.

“But you love me,” he replied smugly.

“That I do,” Regina lovingly smiled at him.

“Oh, I’ve got to go, breakfast is almost done. Talk to you soon and good luck with Emma!” he said suddenly rushed.

“Yeah, you go. And thank you,” Regina said. “I love you.”

“I love you, too,” Henry said before hanging up.

Regina sighed and threw the iPad next to her on the bed. The idea of Emma adopting Henry excited and scared her at the same time. There was still a really small part of her that believed that Emma would someday run and leave her in pieces. The logical, thinking part of Regina knew that Emma would never do that, that she had proven over and over again she was trustworthy.  
A knock on the door startled her and Regina stood up from the bed to open the door. In the hallway stood a crying Ivy.

“Ivy?” Regina asked worriedly. “What’s wrong?”

“Is… Emma… in?” the younger woman asked, fighting down the tears.

“No, she is out, but come in.” Regina stepped aside and let Ivy in. Ivy walked into the room and sat down on the edge of the little couch situated against the wall. Regina knelt in front of her. “What’s wrong?” Regina asked again.

“Mum,” was the only thing Ivy could say before she started crying inconsolably.

“Oh,” Regina sighed and pulled the crying girl into her arms.

Things were apparently much worse than she and Emma initially had thought…

~~~

Emma walked back from the hotel where Maria stayed. She had just returned the speed skating skates she had borrowed and was now on her way back. Maria had congratulated her on another win and Emma was glad to have reconnected with her old friend.  
Whistling a random tune, Emma walked past the running track and spotted Lily stretching in the middle. Stopping, Emma decided to join her. She stepped onto the track and jogged to Lily.

“Hey,” Emma greeted her.

Lily looked up as Emma stopped next to her. “Hey,” she replied.

“What are you doing here?” Emma asked as she started stretching as well.

“Running,” Lily simply said. “It clears my mind,” she explained with a sigh.

“Got a lot on your mind?” Emma asked, trying to sound casual.

Lily frowned at her and Emma smirked sheepishly back. “I guess,” Lily replied vaguely.

She started to walk to the track and Emma followed her.

“Something you want to share?” Emma kept probing.

Lily sighed and squinted up at her. “You don’t give up, do you?” she asked with a sigh.

“Nope,” Emma smirked.

“Fine,” Lily grumbled and started to run.

Emma followed and managed to keep up with her. Lily sped up and soon both of them were running at top speed. Gasping for air, Lily stopped three rounds later. She plopped down on the grass in the middle of the running track and handed Emma a bottle of water. Emma accepted it and hugged her knees to her chest, looking back at Lily who was laying on her back.

“Does it have anything to do with all the lovebirds around you?” Emma guessed.

Lily shrugged and looked at Emma. “Yeah,” she nodded eventually. “I’ve never had that spark you're all talking about,” she started.

“Maybe you haven’t met the right one?” Emma offered, but Lily shook her head.

She propped her upper body up with her elbows, avoiding Emma’s glance. “That’s not it,” she said. “Whenever I think about romantic relationships, I don’t see myself in one. Talking about sex makes my skin crawl and I don’t even want to think about having it. And now that I think about it, it always has been like this,” she told Emma, her voice quiet.

Emma nodded and stayed silent for a bit, taking it all in. “Well, now it makes sense,” Emma finally said.

“What does?” Lily asked. “Because I really feel like an outsider.”

Emma turned to face her completely. “I’m sorry,” she offered. “I don’t think any of us meant to do that.”

“I know,” Lily nodded and sat up straight. “I brought it on myself, I guess,” she pondered.

“How do you figure that?” Emma asked, frowning.

“I haven’t told anyone, so how could any of you have known?” she answered.

Emma nodded. “But you don’t have to tell it if it makes you feel uncomfortable.”

“But people asking me when I will get a boyfriend makes me even more uncomfortable,” Lily chuckles. “And it actually feels good to say it out loud for once.”

“I’m glad for it,” Emma smiled. “It’s up to you if you want to tell the team,” she added. “I won’t say a thing.”

“I know you won’t,” Lily replied and hugged her knees to her chest. “I’m just scared they won’t get it.”

Emma stayed silent at that for a bit, thinking of an answer. “I think there will people who won’t get it,” she finally said. “But as long as you are open and honest about it, it will earn you respect. At least with me,” she winked. “I think you’re very brave in outing this now.”

“Thank you.” Lily looked up and Emma saw the girl had tears in her eyes. “I’ve been struggling with it for so long, thinking I was a freak,” Lily choked, tears rolling down her cheek.

Emma surged forward and engulfed Lily in a bear hug. “You are not a freak,” she whispered in Lily’s hair, rubbing her back.

~~~

For what felt like the hundredth time in an hour, Regina checked her watch. She had expected Emma back by now and slowly but surely she got more worried. Finally, she heard a keycard slid into the lock and the door swung open, revealing Emma. Regina let out a breath in relief and put down her iPad.

“Did Maria keep you?” she asked, trying not to show her worry.

“Actually, no,” Emma said as she plopped down on the couch across the bed. “I ran into Lily and we had a heart to heart,” she explained.

“Oh?” Regina quirked up.

“I can’t tell you what she told me, it’s a bit sensitive. But I think she’ll tell us soon enough,” Emma said, looking a bit guilty.

“That’s okay, I don’t need to know everything,” Regina assured her. “Ivy came by looking for you,” she added, worry filled her again.

“O?” Emma asked surprised.

“She didn’t say much as she so upset, but I think Victoria told her about her being sick,” Regina filled her in.

“Shit,” Emma said and sat down heavily. “That means it’s really serious then.”

“I’m afraid so,” Regina agreed. “Poor girls.”

Emma nodded in agreement and sighed deeply. “How was Henry this morning?” she asked, knowing Regina would call him.

“He was good,” Regina replied, feeling tension filling her body. “There’s actually something I would like to discuss with you,” she started.

“Okay, shoot,” Emma said, a serious look slid on her face.

Regina swallowed and moved to sit on her knees so she was eye to eye with Emma. After Ivy had left, somewhat calmer, Regina had been rehearsing how she would start the conversation. Still, the nerves were flying through her body and she saw her hands were shaking slightly. What if Emma said no? She couldn’t imagine that would happen, as Emma adored Henry, but that little voice in her head kept nagging. Regina looked up and saw Emma’s kind eyes, looking at her questioningly.

_Okay, here goes nothing._

“Henry and I were wondering if you would like to adopt him? So he can legally be your son again,” she said without thinking about it any further.

Anxiously she watched Emma, whose mouth fell open slightly. She watched the emotions run over Emma’s face: anxiety, fear, hope and eventually love. Emma stood up and knelt before the bed. She grabbed Regina’s hands in hers and looked up with tear-filled eyes.

“I would love to,” she choked out.

A broad smile appeared on Regina’s face and pulled Emma into a hug. Emma buried her face in Regina’s shoulder, taking in the scent. Regina held her even tighter, they were really going to be forming a proper family now. Emma pulled back and looked up at Regina with a soft smile.

“I’m actually glad you and Henry brought it up yourselves,” Emma said. “I’ve been thinking about it myself as well,” she confessed.

“You have?” Regina asked surprised.

Emma nodded. “There wasn’t a day where I didn’t regret giving him up. Now that I know him and that I am with you, it feels only natural,” she told Regina.

Regina smiled and stroked a wild string of hair out of Emma’s face. “Why haven’t you said anything?” she asked.

“Because I didn’t want to impose,” Emma admitted shyly.

“You are too sweet,” Regina smiled. “If you want, I can call my lawyer in the morning and set it all in motion,” she suggested.

“I would love that,” Emma beamed.

Regina smiled and kissed Emma softly. “I’ll do it the first thing in the morning then.”

Emma nodded and kissed Regina again. Softly she pushed Regina back on to the bed and crawled on top of her. Regina intertwined her fingers into the golden locks and pulled Emma close to her. The kiss deepened but stayed gentle. There was no rush and Regina planned to take her sweet time today. She wanted to explore Emma’s body for real now, not like the wild and hungry sex they had the last couple of days. It looked like Emma was here to stay, so there was absolutely no rush. Regina let Emma’s hands wander over her body, moaning quietly when Emma slid her hands under her shirt. Emma seemed to take her sweet time as well, drawing lazy circles over her stomach. Regina felt her throat go dry when she realised she could enjoy this for the rest of her life.  
The realisation made her open her eyes suddenly and pushed Emma back slightly. Emma opened her eyes as well and stopped her stroking, confused.

“Are you alright?” she asked, looking worriedly at the brunette beneath her.

“Yeah, no,” Regina stuttered and locked eyes with Emma’s. “I don’t know,” she confessed.

Emma pulled back completely, sitting on her knees. Regina sat up straight well, her legs still trapped underneath Emma.

“Hey, talk to me,” Emma said softly, stroking Regina’s cheek lovingly.

“It’s just… It’s getting real now, isn't it?” Regina asked, casting her eyes down.

“What is?” Emma asked frowning.

“This… us. You adopting Henry. We really are becoming a family,” Regina finally said with a sigh.

“We are,” Emma nodded. “Does that frighten you?” she asked softly.

“A little,” Regina confessed, looking back up. “Is that weird?” she asked.

“No,” Emma said as she shook her head. “I get it. I mean, you were pretty serious with Denise and she did something really messed up.”

Regina nodded, but still, this felt different. “She did,” Regina agreed. “But somewhere deep down I knew she wasn’t my future.”

“How so?” Emma asked.

“Because she never talked about adopting Henry,” Regina told her.

“Wow,” Emma breathed out.

“And this, us, is frightening a bit,” Regina confessed. “What if things go sideways?” she wondered as she cast her eyes down again.

Emma lifted her head with a finger, forcing Regina to look at her. “I’m not going anywhere,” she promised.

“How can you be so sure?” Regina objected. “What if a pretty, younger version of me walks by?”

“I wouldn’t even see them, because I would be too busy to look at this gorgeous woman,” Emma assured her.

“Really?” Regina asked insecurely.

“Really,” Emma replied and kissed her softly. “Besides, why would I want a pretty, young version if I already got the original version?” she smirked.

“Tease,” Regina chuckled.

“Seriously though. I’m fully committed to you and Henry,” Emma promised her again.

“Okay,” Regina nodded, she really believed Emma. Her gut was telling her Emma was the real deal and she could see the sincerity in Emma’s eyes. Emma wouldn’t pull something like Denise had, Regina was sure. “Okay,” she said again and kissed Emma back with ferocity.

Fuck taking her time, she needed to taste Emma now. Emma kissed her back with the same ferocity, pushing her back in the cushions. She let her hands slip under Regina’s shirt again, immediately moving up to her breasts. Emma squeezed them through her bra and Regina felt her nipples react immediately. Emma grinned into the kiss, she had felt it too. Emma’s other hand slipped into Regina’s trousers and underwear, cupping her wet sex.

“Needy much?” Emma grinned.

“Just… please,” Regina begged, bucking up her hips.

“Please what?” Emma asked teasing.

“Fuck me!” Regina screamed, trying to get Emma’s fingers moving.

“Yes, ma’am,” Emma smirked.

She pulled back her hand, making Regina buck her hips again in protest. Emma unbuttoned Regina’s trousers and slid it down together with her underwear. Regina was making short work of Emma’s hoodie, unzipping it fast and stripping it down Emma’s arms. Emma removed the hoodie and threw it next to the bed. Regina let her hands glide over Emma’s toned arms before she pulled Emma’s shirt over her head and threw it away. Emma’s bra followed suit. Emma grabbed the hem of Regina’s shirt and pulled it over her head. Regina removed her bra while Emma stripped out of her jeans and boxer shorts.  
She crawled back on the bed, admiring the naked body waiting for her. Emma could see how wet Regina already was, she could see it glisten between her legs. Without waiting longer, she settled between Regina’s legs and started to lick down Regina’s wet sex. Regina bucked her hips at the sensation, moaning loudly. For a second Emma worried what their neighbours would think, but then again Emma didn’t care as Zelena and Ruby were sleeping next to them. With her tongue, she swirled around Regina’s clit, making her wild. She flattened her tongue against the sensitive bud, making Regina short-circuit. Emma kept lapping at the clit while she pushed a finger into Regina’s cunt, curling it up. Regina grabbed the sheets underneath her, closing her eyes. Emma started to move in and out and Regina opened her eyes.

“Come here,” she said with a hoarse voice.

Emma obeyed immediately and moved up, keeping her finger in Regina. Regina kissed her passionately as she wriggled a hand between them and plunged two fingers into Emma’s dripping cunt. Emma moaned into the kiss at the feeling, only now realising how wet she was herself. Emma added another finger and together they set a deadly pace to reach their orgasm. Regina broke the kiss, moving her mouth to Emma’s collarbone. She bit down as the orgasm rushed through her body, her entire body was convulsing. Emma followed suit, her own orgasm crashing through her. She saw stars behind her eyes, while she kept up the pace with her fingers. Finally, Regina fell limp into the cushions and Emma crashed on top of her.

“You’re definitely a better fuck,” Regina gasped.

Emma laughed at that and softly kissed Regina.

“I love you too,” she replied.

Regina just smirked and snuggled up to Emma, feeling so very safe…


	9. A Day Off

The next game against Sweden came and went. They had won again and the team was feeling like it was on the top of the world. Emma sat on the bench unstrapping her skates, watching Ruby live-stream their little celebratory dance. She smiled as she saw Regina got pulled into it as well and Regina happily obliged. Emma had noticed she had loosened up towards being on the camera and Emma was glad for it. Regina looked really happy, winking cheekily at Emma. 

“Emma, come on!” Ruby boasted and pulled her into the group dance. 

Emma shook her head but happily joined in. Soon enough she felt Regina’s arms sneak around her middle and pull her against Regina’s swinging body. Surprised, Emma let it happen. She wasn’t used to this type PDA from Regina, but she wasn’t going to complain. Emma snuggled more up to Regina, enjoying feeling her so close. From the corner of her eye, she saw Lilly watching them and she winked at her. Lilly smiled back and returned the wink. Emma broke free of Regina’s embrace and pulled Lilly into the celebratory dance. For once, Lilly didn’t object and joined in on the fun.   
Soon after, the door opened and a tired-looking Victoria and a happy-looking Killian entered the locker room and Ruby stopped the live streaming, waving the viewers goodbye. Victoria hung back while Killian stepped forward. 

“That was an impressive win, ladies,” he started. “We really wiped the floor with Sweden today,” he smirked. “I talked with Victoria and she agreed to give you all a day off to celebrate. We won’t have any games in the coming days, so there's plenty of time to train.” Loud cheering went up in the locker room, they all needed a break for a bit and really enjoy the Olympics. “You’re welcome,” Killian smirked. “But remember, keep it clean, ladies. No alcohol or any other funny business.” 

“We promise,” Regina said. “Thank you. Both of you.” 

Victoria nodded and left the locker room without saying a word. Emma looked after her worriedly and noticed Ivy was looking worried as well. Emma caught Killian’s worried glance before he smiled like there was nothing going on. She wondered how long it would take for Victoria to tell the rest of the team. If it were up to Victoria, probably never. 

“Hey, what are we going to do?” Ruby asked, pulling her out of her thoughts. 

“What do you wanna do?” Emma asked. 

“Well, I thought we could go check out some other sports? If we hurry we can go check out snowboarding,” Ruby suggested. “Regina, you want to come too?” she asked, looking up at their captain. 

“Yeah, sure. Sounds like fun,” Regina reacted enthusiastically. 

“Great, it’s a double date then,” Ruby beamed. “How about we meet outside the hotel in an hour?” she proposed. 

“Deal,” Emma agreed and saw Regina agreed as well. 

~~~

Regina closed the door behind them as Emma made her way to the bed. 

“Victoria didn’t look so good,” Emma said. 

“No,” Regina agreed. “I wonder how long it will take before she…” her voice trailed off, but Emma understood what she meant. 

“Me too,” Emma sighed. “I mean, I’m still not her biggest fan, but she doesn’t deserve this kind of end.” 

“No one does.” 

Regina gathered her stuff for the shower and saw Emma was doing the same. Emma caught her stare and smirked. 

“What?” she asked. 

“You want to shower together?” Regina asked. “You know we won’t be down in 40 minutes if we do that,” she teased. 

“Hmmm, I can be quick if I want,” Emma smirked. 

“Oh, can you now? I want to see that,” Regina replied smartly and made her way to the shower. 

“Challenge accepted,” Emma grinned and dashed after her. 

Regina already had the shower running when Emma stepped in. Emma barely got the time to get under the running water before Regina practically threw herself at her. Emma’s back connected with the tiles as Regina hungrily kissed her. Emma reached up and raked her nails up and down Regina’s back, knowing she enjoyed that. Regina moaned into the kiss and pressed her body flat against Emma’s. Regina broke the kiss, but before Emma could utter a word, Regina had moved her hand in between Emma’s legs. Emma groaned when Regina cupped her sex and added pressure. Emma ground her hips against Regina, not believing how wet she already was. Regina looked up grinning, she had felt it too. 

“Someone is horny,” she smirked. 

Emma could only moan in reply as Regina entered her with two fingers. Her thumb landed and Emma’s clit and she drew lazy circles around it. Emma tried to reach between Regina’s legs but Regina stepped away. 

“Not yet,” she crooned. 

Emma looked up with dark, lust-filled eyes and pulled Regina closer in a searing kiss. Regina slowly started to move her fingers up and down, making Emma moan into the kiss. Emma sneakily moved her hand in between their bodies and, before Regina could register it, Emma had plunged two fingers into her wet cunt. 

“You are mine,” Emma growled and pushed Regina against the wall on the other side of the shower. 

Regina didn’t protest, she opened her legs even more for Emma. Emma smirked and pressed her thumb against Regina’s sensitive clit. Emma put more pressure on it, making Regina wild. She rapidly moved her fingers inside Regina’s cunt, bringing her quickly to the edge. For a moment Regina forgot she had her fingers buried deep in Emma, but a moment of clarity made her remember. She matched Emma’s pace and drew Emma to that same edge. Gasping for air, Emma rested her head against Regina’s head as the strong orgasm rolled through her body. Regina followed suit and Emma had to grab her around her waist or they would have crashed on the floor. 

“Shit,” Regina breathed, removing her fingers. 

“Say that again,” Emma smirked and kissed her girlfriend deeply. It looked like Regina wanted to go for a second round, not feeling quite satisfied. Emma, however, pulled back with a mischievous smile. “We don’t have time for more,” she said. “Will you soap my back?” 

Regina groaned, frustrated, knowing Emma was right. They quickly finished showering, interrupted by a few stolen kisses. 

“Why is it I can’t keep my hands off you?” Regina wondered out loud as she stepped out of the shower. 

“Because I’m that hot,” Emma smirked. 

“That you are,” Regina grinned and pulled on her underwear. 

“But if it’s any consolation, I can’t keep my hands off of you either,” Emma replied as she pulled on a t-shirt. 

Regina chuckled and shook her head, pulling on her jeans and sweater. “We’re the worst.” 

“Nah, I bet Ruby and Zelena are even worst, maybe even more so,” Emma smirked. 

Regina nodded. “You might be right.” 

“You ready to go?” Emma asked as she pulled on her sweater. 

“Yeah.” 

They made their way down and found Ruby and Zelena waiting for them in the lobby. 

“That took you long enough,” Ruby said, eyeing her watch. 

“Had a good shag?” Zelena teased. 

“Shut up,” Regina replied, but couldn’t prevent turning red in the face. 

Chuckling, Ruby and Zelena followed the pair out of the hotel. 

~~~

Killian stood leaning against the wall, looking worriedly at Victoria. He had known there was something wrong with her ever since they had left for Beijing. She had been more withdrawn from him and had reacted more emotionally. Ever since she had taken him under her wing, he had seen her as the mother he never had. His mother was a workaholic and he had been raised by the nannies she hired to take care of him. When he had blown his knee, she hadn’t even bothered to visit him in the hospital. Only a lousy postcard had been her way of telling him she’d been, briefly, thinking of him. He suspected she hadn’t even written it. Victoria had shown up at the hospital and had visited him every day he had been in. They had deep conversations and Killian liked to think he really knew her. That’s why her confession had thrown him off. After she had told him and her daughters, he had left the Village and had ended up at some dark pub where he had been drinking until he couldn’t see straight. Now he was sporting a splitting headache and a million questions. 

“What’s the prognosis?” he asked. 

Victoria looked up from where she was sitting and studied him for a moment. He thought he saw guilt and remorse in her eyes and all he wanted to do was hug her and take away this horrible faith. He swallowed thickly, fighting against the tears. 

“Three months tops,” she finally replied. 

He nodded, taking in this new bit of information. “Why didn’t you tell me?” he asked softly. 

“I…” Victoria started but faltered. She stood up and unsteadily walked towards him. “You already don’t have a mother, not a real one, and I didn’t want to take away your happiness,” she said, reaching up to touch his face. 

“I’m a grown man now,” he said. “I can take care of myself.” 

Victoria smiled sadly. “I know you can. That’s why I want you to take over from me after I’m gone.” 

“What? I…” he started, tears were flowing freely now. 

“Ssssh, it’s okay,” she said, wiping away his tears. 

“No, it’s not!” Killian exclaimed. “You should have told us sooner. We would have gotten you help.” 

Victoria shook his head. “No matter how soon I would have told you, it still would have been an inoperable tumour,” she explained. 

“But it would have given us more chance to get used to,” he said. 

“I know, and I’m sorry,” she replied. 

Killian stared at the woman he loved more than his own mother and knew he would have to say goodbye very soon. This realisation broke him and he started crying even harder. Victoria took him in her arms, soothing him. He wrapped her in his arms and cried bitter tears… 

~~~

Ruby, Zelena, Regina, and Emma found themselves in the stands for the snowboarding competition. They had ended up at the halfpipe event and Emma was glad for it. She found the half pipe the most exciting of the sports and knew a few people who participated. During other Olympics, she had made friends with a few snowboarders and had promised to try and come watch them perform. On the scoreboard, she had spotted the familiar names. 

“How many people do you know here?” Ruby asked, surprised when she found out Emma knew a couple of the snowboarders on a personal level. 

“More than I care to admit,” Emma laughed. “This is a really small world.” 

“I’ve noticed,” Zelena remarked. 

The event was about to start and the first snowboarder came down. Emma thought she must have been a newbie, she was way too careful. The snowboarder didn’t get the best scores when she left the track but got a polite applause nonetheless. The next three snowboarders were slightly better and they got polite applause as well. Then one of Emma’s friends was up — Amelee Carter, an American snowboarder. Ruby squealed excitedly; she had heard about her. 

“She’s well and proper famous!” she exclaimed. “And out of the closet,” she added. 

“That she is,” Emma smirked, her eyes were shining with joy. 

“One of your old lovers?” Regina asked under her breath. 

Emma whipped her head towards Regina, eyes shining with amusement. “Are you jealous?” she asked with a smirk. 

“Maybe a bit,” Regina admitted. 

Emma shook her head and watched Amelee go through her routine. She noticed Amelee had sharpened her skills; she was considerably better than a year ago. “Yes, we dated for a short while. But the distance was killing us, so we broke it off. She found a new lover fairly quickly,” Emma clarified, trying to keep it as light as possible. 

“I see,” Regina murmured. 

“There’s nothing to be jealous about,” Emma told her. “I’ve already won the jackpot.” 

“Now you’re just kissing my ass,” Regina snorted. 

“You bet I am,” Emma smirked and kissed her. 

When she pulled back, she managed to catch Amelee's last trick, earning her the first spot for now. Emma didn’t know if she would stay there, as a few rock stars still had to perform, but she would at least end in the top three. 

“Can’t you two not keep it in your pants for a bit?” Zelena teased them. 

“Nope,” Regina replied. “Problem with it?” she questioned, her eyes shining with joy. 

“Oh, my, how the tables have turned,” Zelena said jokingly. 

Regina flipped her off and concentrated back on the halfpipe where the next snowboarder was waiting for the green light. Emma suspected she was a newbie as well, as she didn’t recognise the name. She watched the snowboarder go down and noticed she was a natural, more daring and performing harder tricks, upping her difficulty level. Emma, impressed, applauded at the end of the run. This also marked the end of the first run and Emma stood up. 

“Do you want something to drink?” she asked the others. 

All of them ordered hot cocoa and Regina offered to walk with her to get the drinks. Hands barely touching, they walked off to the catering. 

“You really seem at ease here,” Regina remarked. 

“Well, I have done a few of these,” Emma replied and looked at Regina. “But you’re right. I feel at home.” 

“It suits you,” Regina replied. “You look happy.” 

Emma smiled and wrapped her arm around Regina’s waist. “That’s because I am.” 

“Good,” Regina smiled. 

They walked up to the little bar and stood in line. 

“How are you liking the Olympics thus far?” Emma asked, looking aside at her girlfriend. 

“Overwhelming,” Regina admitted. “But it’s also so amazing to be here. It has a certain air to it, like we’re privileged to be here.” 

“We are,” Emma said. “But we worked hard for it.” 

“Still are,” Regina replied. “I don’t think they’ll let us back into the country if we don’t bring home a medal, preferably a gold one,” she chuckled. 

Emma smirked and nodded. “I think you’re right about that.” 

Finally, it was their turn and they ordered four hot cocoas. They were making their way back when someone called Emma’s name. Emma turned and spotted another familiar face. 

“Cheryl!” she exclaimed. 

A lanky blonde approached them with a big smile, sporting a blinding orange jacket. 

“I thought you had said goodbye to the Olympics for good,” Cheryl said as she nodded at Regina. “Hi, Cheryl Maas,” she introduced herself. 

Regina smiled at her, holding two cups of hot cocoa. “Regina Mills,” she replied. “Sorry I can’t shake your hand.” 

“No worries,” Cheryl smiled and looked back at Emma. “So, what brings you here?” she asked. 

“Well, I did say goodbye to the Olympics, but then I started playing ice hockey and we placed for the Olympics,” Emma explained. 

“Of course you did,” Cheryl laughed and shook her head. “It’s good to see you, Swan.” 

“You too!” Emma beamed. “Are you riding today?” she asked. 

“Yeah, third run,” Cheryl replied. 

“I’ll make sure to cheer you on!” Emma promised. 

“You better,” Cheryl winked. “See you ladies around,” she winked before she walked away. 

“Charming lady,” Regina said, shooting Emma a look. 

Emma laughed. “No, we didn’t hook up, before you ask,” she said with a smirk as she started to walk back to their spots. 

“I wasn’t going to ask!” Regina exclaimed. 

“Uhuh, sure,” Emma threw back teasingly. 

“I was not!” 

Still bickering, they reached their spots and handed the hot cocoa to Zelena and Ruby. 

“What’s going on?” Ruby asked curiously. 

“I ran into someone I know and Regina immediately thinks I slept with her,” Emma explained. 

“Did you?” Zelena asked intrigued. 

“No!” Emma exclaimed. “Why do you all assume I’ve slept with every woman here?” she asked. 

“Maybe because you did?” Ruby teased. 

Emma shook her head with a small smile. “I did not. Maybe three quarters, but not all of them,” she said. “Besides, that’s not even possible, as not every woman is gay,” she reasoned. 

Ruby, Zelena and Regina burst out laughing and Regina grabbed Emma’s hand. 

“I’m only teasing you,” she said with a smirk. 

“Meanie,” Emma pouted. 

“But you love me,” Regina winked. 

“That I do,” Emma replied and kissed her. 

The second run was about to start and their attention got pulled back to the halfpipe. Emma grabbed Regina’s hand and squeezed it as the first snowboarder went down the halfpipe. The difficulty level was higher in this run and the audience got treated to spectacular jumps and tricks. At the end of the second run, Emma saw that Amelee hadn’t made it in the top three and was thus eliminated. Emma knew Amelee would be bummed out and decided to see if she could find the woman after the event ended. Ruby and Zelena went out to get snacks this time, so Regina and Emma saved their spot. 

“This is nice,” Regina remarked. “Going out and watching other events.” 

“I know, right,” Emma agreed. “It’s what I like so much about the Olympics. All the different sports at the same spot.” 

“Yes. I hadn’t heard of half the sports here,” Regina chuckled. 

“I was the same when I came here for the first time. It was all so overwhelming,” Emma admitted. 

“It really is, but so amazing at the same time. Everyone is so friendly,” Regina replied. 

“Not everyone,” Emma commented. “You haven’t seen the speed skaters yet.” 

Regina chuckled. “Yeah, you mentioned it’s a pretty cut-throat environment.” 

“I’m glad I got out of it, although I still love the sport,” Emma thought out loud. 

“I know you do,” Regina smiled and caressed Emma’s hand with her thumb. “Maybe we can check out a speed skating event?” Regina suggested. 

“I would love that,” Emma smiled. 

Soon, Ruby and Zelena returned with hot dogs and handed them to Regina and Emma. 

“Victoria would kill us if she saw us eating this,” Ruby chuckled as she took an enormous bite out of her hot dog. 

“She gave us the day off,” Regina shrugged. “It’ll be fine.” 

“True that,” Zelena agreed. 

“Hmm, we were thinking,” Regina started. “Maybe we can check out speed skating later?” she suggested. 

“Sure, sounds like fun,” Ruby replied and Zelena nodded as well. 

The third run started and Emma saw that Cheryl had to go almost last. The wind had started to get stronger and the cold was getting to them yet they were determined to stay until the end. The third run went by and Cheryl managed to place in the top three. The weather had worsened and an announcer said the final run would be postponed to the next day. Emma and the others were bummed out, they wouldn’t be able to attend as they were expected to train. Emma quickly shot a good luck text to Cheryl, explaining she couldn’t see the final run because of training. They gathered their stuff and left the event. 

~~~

Mulan and Aurora were attending the cross country skiing with Mulan’s parents. They had been invited to join them and so now they were sitting in the stands, watching skiing. 

“I never would’ve figured I liked this sport,” Aurora told Mulan. 

“Same,” Mulan chuckled. “But my parents love it.” 

“I can see that,” Aurora smiled, watching Mulan’s parents and grandmother. 

All three of them had brought binoculars to see the skiing better and Aurora thought it looked adorable. Over the days she had gotten to know Mulan’s parents more and more and she was happy to have met them. Mulan’s grandmother, however, kept looking sceptically at her and it had made Aurora nervous. She had mentioned it to Mulan and Mulan had told her her grandmother always had been overprotective. So Aurora made sure to let Mulan’s grandmother see she meant well with Mulan. 

“Hey, Victoria didn’t look so good this morning,” Mulan said, pulling Aurora out of her thoughts. 

“No, she didn’t,” Aurora agreed. “I wonder what’s going on with her.” 

“I hope it’s nothing serious,” Mulan mused. “She’d been the best coach I ever had.” 

“Yeah, same,” Aurora nodded. 

“We are sorry for the inconvenience, but this event has been cancelled due to the bad weather coming this way soon,” the voice of the announcer suddenly sounded over the speakers. 

Aurora frowned and looked up at the sky. Dark clouds had gathered above them and she noticed the wind had gotten stronger. Next to her, Mulan’s mother mumbled something in Mandarin and she heard Mulan chuckle next to her. 

“She just cursed like a sailor,” she informed Aurora. 

“No way,” Aurora laughed and glanced at Mulan’s mother. 

She looked legitimately pissed off and it was only now that Aurora realised how invested they really were in this sport. They left the event and walked back to the Village. Out of habit, Mulan took Aurora’s hand in hers and Aurora just smiled. Ever since she got with Mulan, she felt like she was walking on clouds. While they walked back, Mulan talked in rapid Mandarin with her parents. Mulan’s grandmother didn’t speak English at all, so she understood why Mulan spoke in Mandarin with them. Mulan looked back at Aurora with a smile. 

“Mom wants to know what we want to go see next,” she said. 

“I saw there is a speed skating event later,” Aurora said. “Maybe that’s a good idea, seeing as its an indoor event.” 

Mulan nodded. “Smart thinking,” she smiled. 

“Thanks,” Aurora blushed and Mulan quickly kissed her. 

Aurora watched as Mulan relayed her answer to her parents and they nodded. Mulan’s father stuck up his thumb and smiled at her. Aurora smiled back at him. 

“Nín de shēnghuó bù qīngsōng, yīnwèi nín de guānghuán hěn àn. Dāng nǐ hé wǒ de sūnnǚ zài yīqǐ shí, nǐ de línghún yīrán shǎnyào.” 

Aurora looked up surprised to find Mulan’s grandmother walking next to her, staring intently at her. 

“Uh,” she started and looked at Mulan for a translation. 

Mulan was looking at her grandmother with wide eyes and needed a moment before she translated. “She said: You did not have an easy life, for your aura is dark. Yet your soul shines bright when you're with my granddaughter.” 

Aurora nodded and turned to face Mulan’s grandmother. “You are right. My life hasn’t been easy, but Mulan saved my life and I intend to make her as happy as she makes me.” 

Aurora looked back and could swear she saw Mulan blush. With a shy smile, Mulan quickly translated what Aurora just had said. A smile broke on Mulan’s grandmother’s face and she took Aurora’s hand in hers. Aurora smiled back and felt a weight fall off her shoulders. 

“I think she just approved of you,” Mulan whispered, surprise sounded through her words. 

“I feel honoured,” Aurora replied. “Will you tell her that?” 

Mulan nodded and quickly translated. The smile on grandmother’s face grew even wider. Aurora felt so blessed to have been accepted in this family and wished it had been that easy with her own. A pang of sadness shot through her, but she dismissed it quickly. It was not her problem anymore.   
Along with Mulan’s family, they decided to go for a drink before going to the ice rink. Mulan wrapped her arm around Aurora’s waist and pulled her close. 

“I love you,” she whispered. 

“I love you too,” Aurora replied happily. 

They followed Mulan's parents into this little bar and Aurora felt like she’d never been this happy in her life. 

~~~

Emma, Regina, Ruby, and Zelena had made their way to the ice rink. Emma had filled them in on the event they were about to watch: short track. She had tried to explain the rules and now they were waiting for it to start. Emma could feel the excitement buzzing through the stadium and she recognised it. This kind of excitement used to fuel her before every meeting, before every race. She felt the familiar tingle in her legs and she smiled. Finally, the event was about to start and the commentator started to introduce every team that participated and Emma was happy to see there was also a GB team. She started at the scoreboard and spotted a few familiar names. 

“Are there skaters you know?” Regina asked. 

“Yeah, quite a few,” Emma replied. “Two of them used to be on my team.” 

“Let’s cheer them on then,” Zelena smirked, she was buzzing with excitement. 

“Of course,” Emma smiled. 

“Heeey, you guys are here as well!” someone above them suddenly exclaimed and when they looked up, they spotted Aurora, Mulan and her parents and grandmother. 

“Hey,” Emma smiled. “What a coincidence,” she said. 

“Not really,” Aurora deadpanned. “The weather is shit outside.” 

“Yeah, we know,” Ruby replied. “We were at the snowboard park before this.” 

“We were at the skiing event and it got cancelled halfway through,” Mulan said, grimacing. 

“Don’t know what the weather forecast is, but I hope it doesn’t get worse,” Emma mused. 

“Well, at least it won’t affect our games,” Mulan replied. 

Emma nodded and was about to reply when the short track event started. They all diverted their attention to the ice, 6 riders had taken place at the start. As far as Emma could see, there was no one from team GB among them. She spotted orange, of course, white, blue, black, another orange and green. The alarm sounded and the skaters were away. It was a really fast sport and after round 4 there was a crash, eliminating three skaters. The other three went on as if nothing happened and one of the orange skaters finished first. 

“I don’t think I get this,” Zelena said as they waited for the next relay. 

“It’s pretty tricky,” Emma admitted. “I have tried it, but it was not for me. The trick is, of course, to finish first, but you have to ride very tactical. And a crash like that doesn’t happen that often,” Emma elaborated. 

“I see,” Zelena nodded. “Very difficult then.” 

“Yes,” Emma smirked. 

On the next relay there was now a skater from team GB among them. Emma smiled, it was Kristy. 

“You know her?” Ruby asked. 

“Yes, that’s Kristy,” Emma replied. 

“Awesome!” 

The alarm went off and the skaters were away. Emma kept her eyes attached to Kristy and saw she was good. She was riding very tactical and taking every chance she got. In the end, she was riding ahead of the other skaters and she managed to finish first. Emma and her friends cheered loudly and waved at Kristy. Kristy looked up and smiled when she saw them. She waved back and winked at Emma. Emma smirked and she stuck up her thumbs. 

“Why can’t they have the Winter games every year?” Ruby complained. “I love this.” 

“I know right?” Zelena agreed. “I’m so glad we’re a part of it.” 

Emma smiled at the enthusiasm and she had to agree with Zelena, she loved being here. Soon the third relay started, but no skaters from team GB were present. The Dutch were ruling the scoreboard like always. 

“What is it with those Dutch people?” Regina wondered out loud. “Are they born with skates or something?” 

Emma chuckled. “You would almost think that,” she said. “I don’t know, they are really good skaters. I once did an internship there, learned a lot.” 

“Strange that they haven’t qualified with their ice hockey team then,” Zelena said with a frown. 

“Yeah, they weren’t actually half bad,” Regina nodded. 

“I don’t know why that is, but it isn’t really in the spotlight there either,” Emma told them, recalling her time in the Netherlands. 

There was a lot of skating and football on the television, but no ice hockey. At the time it hadn’t been interesting for her, but now she was wondering about it.   
This relay went by without much trouble and another Dutch victory. A break was announced and they all went to the hallway to get something to drink and eat. As they made their way to the catering, Emma ended up walking next to Aurora. 

“How are you?” Emma asked, seeing how happy Aurora looked. 

“I’m good,” Aurora beamed. 

“How was it meeting the parents?” Emma asked, eyeing Mulan talking with her parents. 

“I was very anxious at first,” Aurora admitted. “I don’t have the best track record with parents, but they were very kind and welcoming. Even her grandmother approved of me,” Aurora filled Emma in. 

“That’s good to hear!” Emma exclaimed. “Congratulations, you deserve it.” 

“Thanks,” Aurora said shyly. “How are things with you and Regina?” she asked tentatively. 

“Good,” Emma said and looked up at her girlfriend. “We talked and she forgave me. I don’t know why I did it and I regret it deeply. Luckily, Regina found it in her to forgive me,” Emma said. 

“Took her long enough,” Mulan said, she had caught the last bit of the conversation. 

“Fuck off,” Emma smirked. “Yes, but she had every right to,” she added. 

“I’m glad you two made up,” Aurora said. “It’s no fun to have a fighting couple on the team.” 

“I agree and I am sorry you all had to suffer through that,” Emma offered sheepishly. “That mustn’t have been fun.” 

“Not really,” Mulan admitted. “But we’re glad you two are back together now.” 

“You think Victoria knows?” Aurora wondered out loud when they walked back to their places, loaded up with drinks and snacks. 

“I think she does,” Emma said. “But she hasn’t said anything about it.” 

They had barely sat down when the next relay started. This time, two skaters from team GB stood at the start. The starting signal sounded and the skaters were off. One of the team GB skaters got behind and eventually ended in a crash. She landed hard in the boarding and Emma stood up, concerned. First aiders shot to the help and helped the skater off the ice and out of sight of the audience. Emma frowned in concern and watched the rest of the relay. The other team GB skater ended third.   
After another four relays and three finals, the event was done. Still excited from the event, their group walked back to the hotel. They had said goodbye to Mulan’s family, who were staying in another hotel just outside the Village. 

“Are they enjoying themselves?” Regina asked Mulan. 

“Yes, they are,” Mulan replied. “They are big sports fans.” 

“That’s really cool,” Zelena said. “They seem like sweet people.” 

“They are,” Aurora confirmed, earning her a sweet smile from Mulan. 

“Do you see them often?” Regina asked curiously. 

“Not as much as I want, but I go home at least four times a year,” Mulan said, regret sounding through. 

“You must miss them,” Regina said softly. 

“Yeah, I do,” Mulan nodded. “But they encouraged me to go to England. They wanted a better and freer life for me,” she smiled. 

“That’s really sweet,” Zelena said. 

“Emma! There you are!” 

They all startled when they saw Killian pacing the lobby, looking as white as a sheet. Emma walked towards him, concerned. Regina followed closely. 

“Killian, what is it?” Emma asked concerned. 

“It’s Victoria,” Killian elaborated. “It’s not going so well.” 

Shocked, Emma stared at him for a moment. “Okay, let’s go.” 

Together they rushed into the hotel, leaving the others behind and bewildered…


	10. Redemption

Emma and Killian rushed through the hallway to Victoria’s room. Killian knocked and opened the door. The room was darkened and Emma spotted Victoria sitting in the corner of the room, banging her head against the wall. Emma rushed to her and knelt before her. Victoria looked up with tears in her eyes as Emma grabbed her head carefully to stop the banging.

“It hurts so much,” Victoria whispered.

“I know,” Emma replied, fighting her own tears. She helped Victoria onto the bed and looked up at Killian. “Can you check the bathroom for painkillers?” Killian nodded before disappearing into the bathroom.

Victoria had rolled into a ball, her eyes shut tight, but she kept holding onto Emma for dear life. Small moans left her mouth, Emma looked down at her and compassion filled her. She climbed into bed next to Victoria and held her against her. This seemed to relax Victoria slightly, but her eyes still were clamped shut. Emma soothingly rubbed circles on her back, hoping it helped.

A sudden knock on the door made her look up and Victoria flinch at the hard sound. Killian stepped out of the bathroom and opened the door. Mulan’s grandmother waltzed into the room, surveyed the dark room and spotted Victoria and Emma on the bed. With a sure stride, she walked to the side of the bed and motioned for Emma to move away. Emma stood up, surprised, to make room and Mulan’s grandmother took her place next to Victoria. She placed her hands on Victoria’s head, closed her eyes and started to murmur a Chinese hymn. Slowly, but surely Victoria stopped moaning and relaxed until she had fallen asleep.  
The older, grey woman slowly stood up, nodded towards Emma and left the room without uttering another word. Perplexed, Emma stared at the now sleeping Victoria. Killian came standing next to her, looking equally perplexed.

“What the actual fuck?” he whispered.

Emma could only nod in agreement.

~~~

Zelena, Ruby, Regina, Mulan and Aurora were still standing in the lobby when Mulan’s grandmother returned. Mulan walked towards her and they briefly talked before her grandmother left. Mulan walked back confused.

“Grandmother told me Victoria is very sick,” she shared with the rest of the group.

“What?” all of them except Regina exclaimed.

Regina bowed her head and groaned. So things were really worse than they initially thought, or at least the cancer was way more aggressive then Victoria had let on.

“You knew?” Zelena asked sharply, seeing Regina’s reaction.

Regina nodded. “Emma told me after Victoria had confided in her. It was not my place to tell you guys,” Regina nodded.

“Fair enough,” Ruby nodded. “So, how bad is it?” she asked Mulan.

“Grandmother stayed vague about it, but she kept muttering death,” Mulan said, concern sounded through her voice.

“Well, that sounds promising,” Zelena murmured.

Reginal looked at her friends and how worried they looked. She sighed and stepped forward.

“Victoria is very sick indeed,” she started. “I still think it’s not my place to tell you, but you also deserve an explanation. She has a brain tumour.”

The group fell silent, all of them stared at Regina.

“You’re kidding,” Ruby was the first one to open her mouth.

“I wish,” Regina sighed. “But she hadn’t told Emma how bad it actually was.”

“Do Ivy and Ana know?” Aurora asked concerned.

“Yes, she told them a couple of days ago,” Regina told them. “At least Ivy knows,” she added, thinking back of the crying woman.

“Poor girls,” Aurora said, shaking her head.

“The rest of the team doesn’t know yet,” Regina warned them. “I think Victoria should be the one to tell them,” she added.

“Agreed,” Zelena nodded. “We won’t say a thing.”

“Thanks,” Regina smiled.

They all looked up when a very tired looking Killian stepped out of the elevator. He startled when he saw them standing there.

“Are you still here?” he asked, tiredness was clear in his voice.

“Yeah, we were a bit worried when you two stormed off and when my grandmother followed you,” Mulan said.

“Ah yeah,” Killian replied. “Is she a healer of some sort?” he asked frowning.

Regina observed him as he talked to Mulan, he looked so out of it. She had never seen him like that. She knew he had been Victoria’s assistant for years after his accident, but she hadn’t realised how close they actually were. Regina had never paid him much attention and she realised she didn’t know him very well.

“Not a healer, but she does practice an ancient Chinese ritual,” Mulan frowned. She had seen her grandmother do it so often for the people in her village but she had never really bothered to ask what she did because she knew her grandmother wouldn’t share anyway. Even her mother didn’t know exactly. Mulan had asked her mother about it and her mother had said that her grandmother thought they were too modern to perform the ritual. Yet Mulan’s curiosity was awoken now, seeing Killian’s confused reaction. “Why? What did she do?” she asked.

“She put her hands on Victoria’s head and started murmuring something. Then Victoria stopped moaning and she fell asleep. It was like she took away the pain or something,” Killian explained. “Do you think she took the tumour away?” he asked hopefully.

Mulan shook her head. “I don’t think so. I think she only soothed her for now,” she replied. “She’s not a healer, but…” her voice trailed off.

“But what?” Killian pushed.

Mulan looked at him hopelessly and Regina stepped in. “Killian, we don’t know either,” she said. “At least Victoria is asleep now.” He nodded and Regina had never seen him so lost. “Is Emma still with her?” she asked.

“Yes,” Killian nodded. “She didn’t want Victoria to wake up alone.”

Regina smiled, that sounded like Emma. “Come, we were going to have a drink. Join us,” she offered.

“Okay,” Killian nodded and walked with them into the restaurant.

Regina looked up and saw Mulan just leaving the hotel. She looked at Aurora with a questioning look.

“Mulan is going to find her grandmother. She needs answers,” Aurora explained.

“Don’t we all,” Regina sighed and followed the rest into the restaurant, her mind on Emma and Victoria.

~~~

Emma looked up when Victoria moved and stretched. It took a while before she dared to open her eyes and Emma saw the confusion when she opened her eyes and didn’t feel pain. Slowly, she sat up, finding her balance. Victoria looked up at Emma, the confusion growing.

“What happened?” she asked.

“Mulan’s grandmother,” Emma replied. “I’m still not sure what she did, but it helped. She put you right to sleep.”

“I remember banging my head against the wall,” Victoria started, staring at the corner where Emma found her. “I just wanted the pain to stop. And then warm arms that put me to bed and a strange singing. And then nothing, just blackness.” She looked back up at Emma. “Did you do that?” she asked.

“Not all of it,” Emma said. “Killian came and got me. He was so concerned. I found you sitting in the corner, banging your head. I put you to bed and then Mulan’s grandmother entered your room and did her thing,” she explained.

“Whatever she did, it helped,” Victoria said. “The pain is completely gone.”

“That is good to hear,” Emma said.

“I’m sorry you had to see that,” Victoria said, looking away from Emma.

“Hey, it’s okay,” Emma replied, scooting to sit next to Victoria. “You scared the shit out of me, though.”

“I’m sorry,” Victoria said again.

“How bad is it for real now?” Emma asked.

“Bad,” Victoria sighed. “It spread all over my brain. I have three months tops.”

“Shit,” Emma deflated. “I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay,” Victoria said. “I’ve made my peace with it.”

Emma nodded and took a deep breath while processing this new information. “Have you told Ivy and Ana yet?” she asked.

“Yes,” Victoria nodded. “I never want to hurt them like that ever again.”

“I understand,” Emma smiled.

“And I deeply regret hurting you like that when I forced you to give Henry away,” Victoria added, looking back up at Emma.

Emma startled at the regret shining in Victoria’s eyes. “I know,” Emma whispered. “And I am on my way of forgiving you,” she admitted. “I’ve seen how hard you’re trying to forgive yourself and it’s only fair I’m doing the same.”

Now Victoria started to cry softly. “I made so many mistakes, but that was my biggest one.”

“I know.”

Emma engulfed her into a hug and let her cry. A few tears escaped from Emma’s eyes as well as she held her long hated enemy in her arms. There was not much left of the once regal and monstrous woman, except her core. It was only now that Emma saw Victoria wasn’t rotten to the core, there was an actual human being underneath it all. A human being that was dying and looking for redemption…

~~~

The next day it was as if nothing had happened. Victoria looked almost like her old self, apart from the sunken cheekbones and empty eyes. But if you didn’t know any better, you wouldn’t have guessed that she had bordered on madness the day before. Emma watched her as she stepped on to the ice and clapped her hands to gather the team.

“Alright, go get your skates off,” Victoria started. “We’re going outside!” The whole team looked at each other in confusion. “The weather is good, it’s time for some outdoor training,” Victoria announced. “Meet you all in five minutes on the track.”

With that, she turned around and walked off the ice. The team retreated back to the locker room to get off the skates.

“Has she lost her mind?” Ella wondered out loud and Emma had to bite her tongue to not spill the beans.

“Maybe she just wants to shake things up,” Regina shrugged. “I actually like training outside,” she added.

“Sure, me too, but shouldn’t we concentrate on the next game?” Ella asked.

“We are,” Regina said. “After we’re done training, we’ll go over the game plan, okay?” she suggested.

“Okay,” Ella nodded.

Soon enough they jogged outside and met Victoria and Killian on the running track. Victoria was holding a clipboard and seized up her team.

“Let’s start with a warm-up,” Victoria suggested. “Ten laps. Let’s go!”

Without much fuss, they start to run their laps. As they ran, a crowd gathered at the borders of the training track.

“We’ve got fans,” Lily smirked, pointing at the crowd.

“Holy shit,” Elsa smirked. “That hasn’t happened to me in years.”

“Speak for yourself, I always get ambushed whenever I go for a run,” Emma threw back.

“Less talking, more running!” Victoria called at them from the middle.

Emma smirked as she past Elsa, who in turn started to chase Emma. Soon enough they had left the group behind. They finished their laps at the same time, pushing each other and laughing, and they came to a halt before Victoria. Victoria scowled at them, only to send them into a fit of laughter. By the time the rest of the team joined them, Emma and Elsa had calmed down.

“What’s next, boss?” Regina asked, slightly gasping for air.

“Push-ups,” Victoria said.

A groan went through the group, but they all lined up in the middle of the field for the push-ups. Victoria whistled and kept whistling in a beat. After 50 push-ups, half of the group had given up.

“She wants us dead,” Ella groaned, pushing out the last push up.

“Come on ladies!” Victoria called at them. “You can do better than that. On your feet!” she commanded and whistled one last time. The group jumped up as one. “Jumping jacks,” Victoria ordered.

Regina glanced at Emma before she started. “What did Mulan’s grandmother do to her?” she asked.

“No idea,” Emma groaned. “And I’m not sure I like it.”

Regina shook her head, trying to bite down her laugh. “We shouldn’t say that,” she said instead.

“I know, but Victoria shouldn’t murder us either,” Emma groaned, continuing the jumping jacks.

Finally, Victoria whistled again. “Another five laps around the tracks,” she ordered them.

The team moved again as one, starting their laps. As they ran past the borders, they saw the group of spectators had grown, some of them had brought banners.

“Damn,” Ruby gasped as she ran past the group, waving at them. It resulted in loud cheering and Ruby smirked. “I think I could get used to this.”

Gasping and leaning on their knees to get more air, the team stood before Victoria after their 5 laps. Victoria surveyed them again with a critical glance.

“Okay, hit the showers,” she said. “We will meet at the meeting room in 30 minutes,” she added.

They nodded and jogged off the track. As they made their way back to the ice rink, a small group of the spectators followed them, asking for autographs. They stopped and gave a few autographs before leaving the group outside of the building.

“That's never happened to me,” Regina said, amazed.

“It’s fun, right?” Emma smiled.

“Yeah,” Regina beamed and entered the locker room. “Like Ruby said, I could get used to this.”

Emma chuckled and followed her into the locker room, the door closed behind her.

~~~

Half an hour later, the team was gathered in the meeting room. Regina had prepared her game plan and was ready to present it. They would be playing against Russia and they all remembered how Russia had wiped the floor with them before. Along with Emma, Regina had drawn out a tight game plan and she believed it could work. Victoria and Killian entered the room and Victoria nodded to Regina that she could start. Quickly and efficiently, Regina explained the game plan. Ella had a few adjustments for the defence and Regina nodded, she would process them into the plan. Regina closed the presentation and the team was about to stand up and leave when Victoria walked to the front and motioned for them to sit down again. For a moment she kept standing with her back to the team, then she turned around. Her face was scrunched up as if trying to hold her emotions in.

“There is something I need to tell you,” she started and she drew a shaky breath. “This is not easy, so bear with me,” she asked and everyone in the team looked up at her. She spotted Emma, who nodded encouragingly at her. She took another breath, her eyes trained on her daughters. Victoria noticed they were already crying and she wanted to go over to them to comfort them. She looked down and away from the group, she didn’t think she could do this looking them in the eye. “Just before we set off on this adventure, I went to the doctor. I’ve had a headache that just wouldn’t give and I was starting to see double and having dizzy spells. He sent me to the hospital to get checked out and there they discovered I have a brain tumour the size of a tennis ball. Unfortunately, it’s in a spot they can’t operate without killing me immediately. They suggested radiotherapy, but it wouldn’t cure it, so I declined. Without treatment I have three months, tops,” she spilt without stopping or thinking any further on it.

Silence blanketed the room, occasionally interrupted by the soft sniffles of her daughters. Victoria didn’t dare look up until she felt soft arms embrace her and when she did, she found the entire team surrounding her. She swallowed thickly, but the tears won. She let them go, there was no reason to hold back anymore. She closed her eyes and let them hug her.

“Then why the hell are you here?” Ella was the first one to speak up, she was standing right in front of Victoria.

“Because I wouldn’t want to miss this for the world,” Victoria replied. “Besides, I believe you’ve never had such a good coach,” she teased them.

A soft chuckle went through the group.

“I’m glad you haven’t lost your humour,” Mulan said.

“Humour?” Emma echoed. “This is the first time I heard her crack a joke.”

“Be careful, Swan,” Victoria threatened. “I believe we still have access to the ice for another fifteen minutes.”

“No thanks,” Emma replied with a cheeky smile.

“Look, I know this shocked all of you, but I want us to continue as we did,” Victoria said. “I want us to keep winning.”

“Deal,” Regina nodded.

After another few minutes, Victoria dismissed them and the hug broke. Victoria watched them all go and only Regina stayed behind.

“What is it, Mills?” Victoria asked as she sat down.

The dizziness was back and so was the pain. She squeezed her eyes shut to will it back for a few more minutes.

“Are you sure you don’t want to go home?” Regina asked softly, sensing Victoria was in pain.

“Yes,” Victoria nodded and opened her eyes. “I've lived for this moment just as much as you have.”

Regina nodded and walked to the door. “You are one stubborn bitch,” she smiled.

“I’ll take that as a compliment,” Victoria chuckled.

“You should,” Regina replied and left the room.

Victoria closed her eyes, tears flooding freely now. Her body racked with the grief and pain and she just let it all go…

~~~

Mulan knocked on her grandmother’s door. She waited patiently until the door opened and her grandmother appeared. She smiled as soon as she saw Mulan.

“I knew you would come,” she said in Mandarin and let Mulan in.

Mulan settled against the wall as her grandmother sat in the only chair available in the room. Mulan surveyed the room, it was small and only had a bed, closet, chair and table in it. Mulan swallowed, but she knew her grandmother saw this as a luxury.

“What you did for Victoria, thank you,” Mulan started.

“You are welcome my child,” her grandmother smiled and motioned for Mulan to sit down on the bed. Mulan hesitated but sat down anyway. “But that is not why you came,” she said, looking with a knowing smile up at Mulan.

“Partly,” Mulan smiled. “I want to know how you did it,” she said. “I want to learn it.”

“Are you sure?” her grandmother asked. “Isn’t it too ‘vague’ for you?”

Mulan shook her head. “It never has been for me. I remember watching you helping the people in our village and wanting to know how you did it.”

“Very well,” her grandmother. “Remember, I learned this from my mother and she learned it from her mother. By teaching you, I’m passing on something very important.”

“I understand,” Mulan nodded solemnly. “I want to keep the tradition and practice going.”

Her grandmother nodded and smiled. “You keep surprising me, Meiling.”

Mulan smiled back and listened closely as her grandmother started to explain the ritual. She was glad her grandmother had come to see the Olympics. It had made her feel so much closer and now her grandmother was about to teach her the old ways. Mulan smiled as she saw how enthusiastic her grandmother was growing, her eyes were shining with excitement.

“Keep in mind that it takes a lot of practice to get it right,” her grandmother said, pulling her out of her thoughts.

“Yes, grandmother,” Mulan nodded and gave her grandmother her full attention.

~~~

Zelena sat in the park in the middle of the Village. She was watching people walking by and marvelled at how many nationalities were gathered here. Unconsciously, she rested her hand on her belly. Victoria's news had hit her like a brick and had forced her to think about her unborn child. It had made her realise how short and precious life is. Zelena had also seen what it had done to Emma, giving up a child. She didn’t think she could do it, she was already starting to love the unborn child. She hadn’t told anyone about it, not wanting people to start convincing her to keep it. It needed to be her decision. Zelena sighed, debating how Ruby would react. Up until now, Ruby had been very sweet and loving and supporting, but she didn’t know if Ruby would keep it up if she decided to keep the baby. Ruby was a wild soul like herself and maybe she needed to let her go whenever she needed it. Zelena stared at her stomach, already imagining how her child would look like. She hoped the kid had her red hair, but not her restless soul. Once again Victoria’s heartbroken face appeared before her eyes and Zelena nodded, she had made up her mind. She stood up and walked back to the hotel. Soon she was back at her room and she opened the door. Zelena found Ruby on the floor doing push-ups.

“Didn’t Victoria murder you enough?” Zelena chuckled.

Ruby smirked and stood up. “I do push-ups daily,” she said. “Where did you go?” she asked as she walked over to Zelena and kissed her.

“For a walk, I needed to clear my head,” Zelena said as she plopped on the bed, shedding her coat.

“Did it help?” Ruby asked.

“Yes,” Zelena nodded and looked down. “I made a decision.”

“You did?” Ruby sank to her knees in front of Zelena and lifted Zelena’s head so she could look into her eyes. “And?”

Zelena searched Ruby’s eyes and only found love in them. “I want to keep this baby,” she replied.

A smile broke on Ruby’s face. “That is great news, Zee,” she said.

“Is it?” Zelena asked, frowning in concern.

“Yes! I'd love to have a mini-you around,” Ruby smirked. “With cute little red curls.”

Now Zelena smiled as well and nodded, she could see it too. Suddenly she looked serious again. “I get it if you can’t settle,” she said.

“Says who?” Ruby asked.

“Ruby, come on,” Zelena sighed. “You’re just as much a free spirit as I am.”

The smile on Ruby’s face faltered, her fingers playing with Zelena’s hand. “This may complicate things a bit,” she admitted softly.

“Yes,” Zelena nodded. “But I have been thinking about it. How about we try an open relationship?” she suggested. “I know that I will become restless at some point, but I want my kid to have a constant person in his or her life and I would love it if it were you,” she proposed.

Now Ruby looked up. “Are you serious?” she said incredulously.

“I am. I love you, Ruby Lucas, and that entails letting you go if you feel the need,” Zelena said with a soft smile.

“And I love you for suggesting this,” Ruby smiled. “As long as we both are okay with this agreement.”

“Rubes, we are the same,” Zelena smiled. “But I think I will always return to you at the end of the day.”

“Me too,” Ruby said and kissed Zelena passionately. “God, I can’t wait to meet this kid,” she smiled and caressed Zelena’s belly.

“Me neither,” Zelena smiled.

Zelena had never thought she would find someone like her and here she was, right in front of her. Ruby was the most amazing and beautiful woman she’d ever met, both inside and out. Ever since they were together, neither she nor Ruby had the urge to see someone else, but Zelena knew that it would happen when they went back to their normal lives. Having an open relationship and having a kid would be a challenge, but Zelena knew they would figure it out. She believed their love for each other would be strong enough.

“Are we really going to do this?” Ruby asked, looking up.

“Yes,” Zelena nodded. “If you are in, I’m in.”

“God, I love you,” Ruby sighed and once again kissed Zelena. “So, do we need to set up rules or something?” she asked after she broke the kiss.

“I don’t know. I think the most important thing is that we’re honest and don’t hide any lovers from each other,” Zelena thought out loud.

“I can see some pros to that,” Ruby smirked. “Wouldn’t surprise me if we had the same type.”

Zelena chuckled and shook her head. “I think we’ll be able to work it out.”

“I think so too,” Ruby nodded and looked back at Zelena’s stomach. “So, what about August?” she asked.

“Shit,” Zelena swore, she had almost forgotten about him. “I have to tell him,” she groaned.

“You think he wants to be a part of our dysfunctional family?” Ruby wondered.

“There’s only one way to find out,” Zelena sighed.

“True,” Ruby nodded. “Regina is going to be such an awesome aunt, and so will Emma,” she beamed.

“They are going to be the cool aunts,” Zelena laughed and pulled Ruby up for another kiss. “And you are going to be an amazing mom,” she whispered.

Ruby froze for a second, then she melted into Zelena. “And so will you.”

Zelena smiled and kissed Ruby again, pulling her on top of her as she laid down. It would all be alright, she would be alright…

~~~

Emma was skating rounds in the now empty ice rink. She had waited until every team that had the ice today left and was now skating in the dark, enjoying the silence. It had taken Emma by surprise that Victoria had told the rest of the team and yet she felt it was the right decision; Victoria knew it was going way faster than the doctors had predicted. Emma just hoped she would make it until the end of the Olympics. But when she found Victoria banging her head against the wall, she had looked so fragile, Emma wondered how long she would be able to keep this up. She knew Victoria was a strong woman, but it looked like the cancer was way stronger. Emma thought back to the conversation they had after she woke up and it felt good to actually have talked about what happened between them. Emma felt she was on the way of forgiveness.

“There you are.”

Emma looked up and saw Regina skating towards her, holding two sticks and a puck.

“Needed to think,” Emma explained and took over one of the sticks.

“I figured,” Regina nodded and passed the puck to Emma. “Are you okay?” Regina asked.

“I don’t know,” Emma replied as she shot the puck into the goal as hard as she could. “I’ve spent the biggest part of my life hating Victoria’s guts and now that we’re on the road back to recovery, she’s going to die. I don’t know how to feel about that,” Emma said as she skated to the goal to pick up the puck and passed it on to Regina.

“Do you think you’d forgiven her if she hadn’t been sick?” Regina asked as she shot the puck high in the right corner of the goal.

“I doubt it,” Emma admitted. “You know, because of this, she is finally showing who she really is. She is not the monster I used to think she was.”

Regina nodded and skated to the goal to pick up the puck. With the puck on her stick, she skated back to Emma. “I never really liked Victoria either. I didn’t hate her but definitely didn’t like her. Now that she’s dying, my view on her has changed. Weird that cancer can do that,” she mused.

“Cancer does a lot of things,” Emma sighed. “No matter how horrible she is, she doesn’t deserve this.”

“Does anyone?” Regina questioned.

“No,” Emma replied.

Regina played around with the puck, tapping it from one side to the other. Emma watched it and tried to steal the puck. Regina smirked and skated off with the puck. Emma started chasing her, stealing the puck. They played this game for a while until they stopped, out of breath.

“Remember we did this the first time you tried out?” Regina asked.

“Yeah,” Emma laughed. “You kept pushing me to the ground.”

“You’ve become better,” Regina smirked.

“I better fucking hope so, or I can pack my bags and kiss a medal goodbye,” Emma smirked. “We've come a long way, haven’t we?” she asked as she looked up at Regina.

“We have,” Regina nodded and looked lovingly back at Emma. “And I like that we’re on the road together now.”

“Me too,” Emma smiled and kissed her girlfriend.

“Oh, I’ve got a phone call from Rodger,” Regina said as they skated back to the exit of the ice rink.

“Who?” Emma asked.

“My lawyer,” Regina clarified. “He started the adoption progress for you.”

Emma’s face lit up. “That’s great!” she exclaimed. “We should tell Henry.”

Regina checked her watch and nodded. “He should be up by now,” she said with a smile.

“Let’s do it.”

They took off their skates, put them in their bag and walked out of the stadium hand in hand…


	11. Determined

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Omg, I'm sooo sorry guys. I again missed posting on Wednesday. So, I'm gonna give a double update again. I'm soooo sorry.  
> I hope you all enjoy the next chapters!

Despite the devastating news they'd gotten days before, Ivy and Ana were both present for the game against Russia. Victoria was as well, but she had handed the reigns to Killian, only advising him. The entire team was determined to win this game for Victoria.  
Emma bounced her leg up and down nervously, this game was important. If they win this, it would get them into the semi-finals.

“You okay?” Regina asked, looking at Emma in concern.

“Yeah,” Emma nodded. “Just pregame jitters I suppose.”

Regina nodded and Emma tried to calm down a bit. She tried to tell herself it was just another game, but it wasn’t, was it? Emma continued putting on her gear as the door opened and Killian entered.

“Gather around, ladies,” he started. Emma glanced up, he was missing his usual air. His eyes met hers and she startled when she saw how empty they were. She hadn’t realised how this would affect him, she wouldn’t have guessed he was that close to Victoria. “I know things are hard now, but we need this win. If we win it will place us in the semi-finals and we’ll have a real shot at a medal,” he tried to give them his usual pep talk, but it misfired.

Emma watched him struggle as he explained the tactics and let them know who would be on the ice in the first period. Emma was on the ice with Regina, Zelena was benched for now. Ruby was standing in the goal and Ella led the defence with Merida. Mulan was supporting Emma on the right-wing and the team was complete. Emma nodded, this sounded good. She suspected Victoria had instructed him strongly. Killian lowered the clipboard, nodded and left the locker room. Emma shot up and walked after him.

“Killian?” she said as she stepped into the hallway on her skates. “Are you okay?” she asked concerned.

Killian turned around and faced her. She saw he was barely containing his tears. “Not really,” he admitted.

“You two are pretty close, aren’t you?” Emma asked softly.

Killian nodded. “She’s like the mother I never had,” he told her. “I know you have a different relationship with her and I’m still not sure what really happened between you two, but to me, she means the world.”

“I get that,” Emma said and gave him a hug. “If you ever want to talk or cry, come find me okay?” she offered.

“I’ll keep that in mind. Thanks, Swan,” he smiled a small smile. “Knock ‘em dead out there.”

“We will,” Emma promised him.

Killian turned around and walked away. Emma watched him go and walked back into the locker room. They just had the last call, the game would start soon.

“How is he?” Regina asked softly, she had seen the change in Killian as well.

“Not good,” Emma sighed and grabbed her mouthguard.

“Poor dude,” Regina murmured.

They were green-lighted and they made their way to the ice. Emma grabbed her stick tightly, trying to control the nerves that had suddenly returned. The Russian team was introduced first and the stadium roared loudly.

“I think they brought fans,” Ella remarked dryly.

Emma chuckled; that was just what she needed to relax, just a little bit of humour.

“Still, those fans won’t help much when we crush them,” Mulan said with a smirk.

“Damn right,” Emma nodded.

Finally, it was their turn and Regina stepped onto the ice first. She waved at the crowd, who cheered her on loudly.

“You’ve got an amazing girlfriend,” Merida said next to Emma.

Emma looked up surprised, this was the first time she heard Merida talk in proper English. “Thanks, Mer,” she said. “And I know.”

Emma’s name was called and she stepped on the ice. Adrenaline filled her veins and she was totally ready to crush the Russians. Finally, both teams were presented and the game could begin. Regina went up for the power struggle and won. She immediately passed the puck to Mulan, who skated forward fast. She swerved around the defence, but the goalie stopped the puck. Mulan skated back and stopped next to Regina.

“The goalie has a slow left,” she informed their captain.

“Copy that,” Regina nodded.

She signalled to Emma, relaying the message. Emma nodded and knew she had her work cut out. The Russians took the rebound and barged through their defence. They managed to score the first point, Ruby just missed the puck. Angrily, she picked the puck out of the goal and passed it to Ella even before the Russians had returned to their half. Ella past it to Merida who passed it to Emma. Emma gritted her teeth, determined to make the equalizer. She swerved around the defence, faked right and scored in the left corner. With a shit-eating grin, she returned to her half, her team and fans cheering her on.

“We can handle them,” Emma grinned.

“Nicely done,” Regina said. “But let’s not cheer too soon,” she warned them. “Let’s go.”

The team disbanded, going back to their spots. The Russians were ready to take the rebound and the game went on. This time, Ruby stopped the puck and she had to refrain from sticking out her tongue. It would have been too childish, she decided. She shot the puck at Merida, who shot it at Regina. Regina shot forward, Emma and Mulan followed her. They blocked the defence and Regina took a shot at the goal. The goalie stopped it and passed it on the Russian right-wing. Emma frowned, the goalie seemed to have become faster. The Russians made another attempt of breaking through the defence, but Ella stopped them. She won back the puck and passed it to Mulan. Mulan looked up at Emma, who nodded. The Chinese woman sped forward, swerved through the defence and skated around the goal to drop the puck around the right corner. The goalie was too slow and Mulan effectively scored the second point. The crowd was breaking down the stadium at that point and the rest of the team cheered Mulan on.  
With a big grin on her face, Mulan returned to her spot. The Russians retaliated hard, pushing through the defence. Merida tried to stop them, but the bulky Russian centre tackled Merida hard. Merida didn’t stand up immediately and, concerned, Regina skated over to her. When it became apparent that Merida was injured, the referee immediately whistled and sent the Russian player to the time-out box. Emma skated over as well, kneeling next to Merida.

“It’s me knee,” Merida groaned, holding her right knee. “Think it popped.”

“Medic!” Regina called and Killian immediately jumped on the ice.

He walked over to them and knelt next to Merida. He quickly observed her and knew it was serious. Behind him two medics arrived, carrying a stretcher.

“Can you stand?” one of them asked and Merida shook her head. “Okay.”

The entire team had gathered around Merida by now and they made room for the medics. Swiftly, they lifted a groaning Merida on the stretcher.

“Kick their arse fe me,” Merida said before they carried her away.

“I’ll go with her,” Killian said.

“You can’t,” Emma reminded him. “You’re the coach now.”

“Shit,” Killian swore.

“Send Aurora with her,” Regina suggested and Killian nodded.

“I’ll send Elsa in,” he said before he walked back to the dugout.

Regina nodded and gathered her team around her now that they were still in time out.

“Okay, they are one man down now, let’s take advantage of that,” she said. “We can get them on their knees.”

“Let’s get them,” Mulan agreed.

Time was up and the referee whistled. Because of the foul-play, team GB had gotten a penalty. Emma went up to the spot nervously. Her team stood watching her on their half as Emma took a deep breath. The referee whistled and Emma took the puck on her stick. In a few strides, she was halfway to the goal. She kept her eyes trained on the goalie, trusting her stick handling skills.

“ _The goalie has a slow left,_ ” Mulan’s voice reverberated in her head.

Emma faked left, right and finally shot it in the high left corner, scoring effectively. A big grin appeared on her face, she was getting better at it. The crowd went wild and Emma got hugs from her team. Not a minute later, the referee whistled again, signalling the first period was over. Excited, team GB entered the locker room.

“We really are getting them,” Mulan smirked, they were ahead of the Russian with 2 points.

“Don’t celebrate too early,” Zelena warned her. “We’ve still got two more periods to go.”

“Agreed,” Regina said as she sat down. “Let’s keep our head in the game.”

Emma nodded and handed Regina a bottle of water. “Any news on Merida?” she asked.

Mulan grabbed her phone and checked. She nodded. “They are taking pictures of her knee now. She’s in pain,” Mulan filled them in.

“That’s not a good sign,” Regina sighed. “But let’s try to be positive.”

The door opened and Killian entered. Emma frowned, normally Victoria would tag along. Killian saw her look and shook his head, signalling Victoria wasn’t doing so well.

“Alright ladies, we’re right on schedule. 3 to 1 on the scoreboard in our favour is very good,” he started. “But we've got to keep our guard up, the Russian tend to come back strong,” he warned them. “So I want the defence and goalie on high alert and wings and centres on attack-mode,” he continued. “Emma and Regina, you two need to catch your breath for the last period. Lily and Mal will go in your place. Ariel, you go on and I want Zelena and Kathryn on as well. Agreed?” he asked.

The team nodded and Emma removed her helmet. She was glad to get a break, she was feeling the effects of the intense game. Killian went over the tactics with them and left the locker room. Soon it was time to go back for the second period. Emma sat down next to Regina, helmet on the ground next to her feet and the stick resting in between her legs. Mal went up for the power struggle and lost the puck. They had to scramble after the Russian player that broke through. Ariel was just too late to stop the player and the bulky woman was facing off with Ruby. Ruby tried her best to calculate the shot, but couldn’t do anything to stop the puck.

“It’s okay!” Killian called to the team. “Shake it off.”

Ruby passed the puck to Zelena, who passed it to Kathryn. Kathryn shot forward, dodging the defensive players, but lost the puck to the goalie. Even if she didn’t score, she did get applause from the crowd. The Russians steamrolled through their defence, resulting in another goal. The score was equal now, 3 to 3. Emma was starting to get nervous, they needed to up their game.

“Come on guys,” she heard Regina mumble.

Ruby shot the puck to Lily, who passed it to Mal. Mal shot forward, with Zelena on her heels. When Mal ran into a block, she passed it to Zelena who managed to break through. She skated around the goal, being chased by two Russian players. It didn’t faze her as she calmly put the puck around the left corner, scoring again. Grinning, she skated back, low fiving her teammates in the dugout.  
The crowd went wild and Emma saw the Russians became agitated. The Russians were back in possession and retaliated hard. They broke through the defence, but Ruby saw them coming and stopped the puck. She immediately sent it back into the field, Zelena picked it up. As most of the Russian players were on their half, Zelena had an almost free field before her. Only one defensive player and the goalie were standing between her and another goal. Zelena acted quick and shot forward. She surpassed the defensive player with ease, fooled the goalie and shot the puck right through the middle, making the score 5 to 3. Cheering, she skated back, the crowd cheering her on. Emma and Regina joined in the cheering. Emma glanced at the clock, half a minute left. If they played it right, they would return to the locker room with another 2 points advantage. The Russians had other plans as they once again tried to steamroll their defence. One player broke through and managed to score just before the referee whistled. A bit bummed, the team returned to the locker room.

“We can still win,” Lily said. “They are strong, but their goalie is a weak spot.”

“Let’s hope they won’t switch her out,” Zelena said. “We have a chance if they don’t.”

Emma nodded and was about to say something when Killian entered, this time with Victoria in tow. Emma locked eyes with her, silently asking if she was okay. Victoria nodded quietly, but she looked awfully white.

“Be prepared for the chance that the Russian changed their goalie,” Killian started. “She isn’t doing that well, so if I was their coach, I would have changed her. Now, let’s see what happens if they do.”

He whipped out his clipboard and showed the possibilities. If the Russians indeed changed their goalie, it would be a lot harder to keep the difference in the score up.

“But there is still a chance,” Emma said. “What if we also go for a fresh goalie?” she suggested.

“Not what I was going for,” Killian said. “Ruby is doing an amazing job. What I do want to do is go on the ice with the set-up from the first period. We need to use our strongest players now.”

Emma nodded, that could also work. Killian went over the tactics as Victoria walked over to Emma.

“How is Merida?” she asked softly.

“Last I heard they were going to take pictures and she’s in pain,” Emma told her.

Victoria shook her head. “We can’t have her injured,” she said. “She’s a valuable asset.”

“I agree, but we can’t change it now,” Emma said. “How are you today?” she asked worriedly.

“Not too good,” Victoria admitted. “But I’ll manage.”

She smiled softly at Emma and walked out of the locker room with Killian. Ana would join them on the ice in Merida’s place and Emma saw she was nervous.

“Hey, you’re going to do great out there,” Emma tried to ease her nerves.

“I hope so,” Ana said. “My mind isn’t really with the game,” she admitted.

“I know,” Emma replied and gave her a quick hug. “You can do it.”

Ana nodded bravely and Emma let her be, Ivy stepping up to her sister. Emma sat down next to Regina, who looked worried.

“This next period will be the most important we ever played,” she said. “I hope we can do it.”

“Me too,” Emma nodded, knowing how unpredictable ice hockey could be.

Soon the time was up and they were expected back on the ice. Emma felt the nerves going through the game and she tried to keep her head cool. She needed to. She took up her spot on the ice, nodding encouragingly to Ana. Ana nodded back and Emma spotted the determined look in her eyes. Regina went up for the power struggle and won. She immediately shot the puck to Mulan, who dodged the defence. Emma tagged along and when Mulan ran into a block, she took over the puck. Emma slipped past the block, skated around the goal and wanted to put the puck in the corner, but the goalie stood there waiting for her. Emma skated back to her half and shrugged at Regina.

“Nice try,” Regina nodded.

“Thanks. They didn’t switch out their goalie,” Emma smirked.

“I noticed,” Regina replied, smiling as well.

The Russians came back strong, breaking through their defence and scoring their fifth point. Now Emma started to sweat, she wanted to prevent the sudden death part of the game. She saw Regina was getting nervous as well, her eyes narrowed and her mouth became a thin line in determination.  
Ruby passed the puck to Mulan, who passed it to Ana. Ana shot forward, like an arrow out of a bow. She shot through the defence and Emma and Regina quickly followed her. But Ana didn’t seem to need any help as she pulled the same trick Emma once did, skating full speed towards the goalie and stopping just in front of her and playing the puck in between her legs into the goal, making their sixth point. Cheering and howling, the crowd yelled her name and Emma saw Victoria was watching them from the VIP box. She looked so proud and Emma could swear she could see tears in Victoria’s eyes. Emma wrapped her arm around Ana’s shoulder.

“Well done,” she smiled at the younger girl. “Told you you would do amazing.”

Ana nodded and could only smile. A silent agreement went through the team, they wouldn’t let the Russians score again. Emma saw they had two minutes left on the clock. The Russians tried to break through once again but didn’t succeed. Team GB effectively managed to keep the Russians out of their goal and finally, the referee whistled for the end of the game. Celebrating and cheering team GB did their celebratory round around the stadium, the crowd cheering them on. Finally, they retreated back to the locker room. Mulan grabbed her phone and smiled widely.

“Good news,” she said. “Merida’s knee is only sprained and not permanently damaged.”

“That is good news!” Regina smiled.

Killian and Victoria entered the locker room with big smiles on their faces.

“Congratulations,” Victoria finally spoke up, her voice sounded frail but happy. “I am so proud of all of you,” she added.

“Well, we learned from the best,” Regina replied with a smile.

“That is very kind of you, but you did the hard work. All of you,” Victoria said.

Killian waved his phone up in the air. “I just got a text from our House in the village, they want to celebrate you guys for reaching the semi-finals,” he told them with a big smile.

“Party time!” Ruby called out and the rest of team joined her into a celebratory dance in the locker room.

Killian and Victoria left the locker room with a smile, the team deserved this celebration.

~~~

It was a couple of hours later when Emma and Regina finally had time to sit down at the restaurant for a late lunch. The team meeting had taken a bit longer than they had anticipated.

“Man, I’m starving,” Emma said as she looked at her plate.

She had loaded it full with pancakes, eggs, a bear claw and a few croissants.

“I can see that,” Regina replied dryly.

Regina had kept it more fat-free. She had chosen a simple Caesar salad, a glass of orange juice and coffee.

“You’re going to starve,” Emma commented, eying her salad.

“I’ll be fine,” Regina replied and started to dig in. “You, on the other hand, will get an upset stomach.”

“Nah, I can do this.”

Emma dug in too and in silence they enjoyed their lunch. Emma finally pushed her empty plate away and leant backwards.

“You eat like a child,” Regina replied teasing and Emma stuck out her tongue.

“I enjoy my food,” she chuckled.

“I do too, but just a bit more sophisticated,” Regina said.

“Emma has never been sophisticated,” someone behind them said.

They both looked up and saw Graham approach their table. Emma narrowed her eyes, her playful mood disappearing like snow before the sun.

“What are you doing here?” she asked tensely.

Graham towered above them, looking at Emma. “I was looking for you,” he said.

“Well, you found me,” Emma replied dryly.

He nodded and seemed to search for words. “I was wondering if I could talk to you. In private,” he finally said.

“I have no secrets from Regina, so whatever you have to say, you can just say it,” Emma said, barely containing her discomfort.

Under the table, Regina hooked her foot around Emma’s ankle, to let her know she was right there. Emma’s eyes fluttered to Regina, her eyes looked stormy.

“She knows…about…?” Graham asked, trying not to give away too much.

“I know you two dated,” Regina replied for Emma. “And that you let her sink like a brick when things got too complicated,” she added simply.

Graham seemed to pale a bit as he nodded. “I see,” he said and looked back at Emma. “Well, I wanted to talk about that,” he continued. “I heard you had a boy. Can I ask, what happened to him?” he asked.

Emma stared at him incredulously and contemplated throwing the glass of water in his face. She was about to reply, but Regina beat her to it.

“I adopted him.”

Graham stared at her, his mouth dropped open in surprise. “You did?” he asked.

Regina nodded and popped a piece of cucumber in her mouth. “I did. And he is a wonderful young man,” she told him.

Graham closed his mouth again. “Well, that is good to hear,” he murmured. “Sorry to have bothered you. Have a nice lunch,” he said before he turned away to walk off.

Emma seemed to have recovered from her shock as she called him back. “Is that all you have to say?” she asked him.

“Uh, yeah,” he replied, looking surprised.

Apparently, that was the last straw for Emma as she stood up. “I went through hell and almost lost my career. And you just went on with your life as if nothing happened and you don’t think there’s more to say?” she spat, her eyes were spitting fire.

“What do you want me to say, Emma?” Graham said, getting agitated.

“How about an apology?” she suggested.

“An apology?” he echoed. “What the bloody hell for?”

If Regina hadn’t grabbed Emma’s arm, Emma would have attacked Graham. Regina looked up at Graham, her eyes ice cold.

“I think you better go,” she suggested.

“Gladly,” Graham grumbled. “Crazy bitch.”

Neither of them did see the slap coming before it was too late. Regina had let go off Emma and slapped him across his face. Startled, Graham took a few steps back.

“How fucking dare you,” she bristled. “She tried everything to protect you and this is how you repay her?”

“Protect me? You know!” Graham roared back, his cheek slowly going red.

“And she’s the only one,” Emma stepped in. “Now get the hell out of here before I kick your ass.”

“Crazy bitches,” he mumbled as he fled the restaurant.

Emma turned to face Regina. “Are you okay?” she asked.

“I better ask you,” Regina replied, looking concerned at her girlfriend.

“I am. I’m glad he is not in Henry’s life,” Emma sighed as she sat down. “Bastard.”

“Agreed,” Regina said as she sat down again. “Arrogant prick.”

“He always has been,” Emma said. “Even when we dated.”

“I’m sorry,” Regina offered.

“Don’t be,” Emma replied. “If I hadn’t had Henry, I would’ve never gotten to know you.”

Regina nodded. “You’re probably right about that.”

Emma grabbed Regina’s hand and stood up. “How about we go back to the room?” she suggested.

“Good idea, I need to let off some steam,” Regina replied as she stood up.

Emma laughed out loud and hand in hand they walked out of the restaurant…

~~~

That night the Great Britain House was filled to the brim. There had been speeches from some of the sponsors and officials and after that, the party had been kick-started. Merida had returned from the hospital on crutches, she wasn’t allowed to play for the rest of the Olympics yet she had a huge smirk on her face as she stood talking with Killian. Victoria had excused herself and no one in the team had made a fuss about it.  
Emma was getting something to drink when Neal appeared next to her.

“Hey,” he greeted her.

Emma looked up with a smile, she always liked seeing him. “Hey,” she greeted him back. “Congrats on your big win,” she said, his team had won three golden medals today.

“Thanks, same to you,” he said with a smile. “The crowd really went insane,” he added.

“You were there?” she asked surprised, she hadn’t seen that coming.

“Yes, Maria dragged me with her,” he smirked.

“Of course she did,” Emma laughed, she could totally picture it. “I’m glad I reconnected with her. I missed her,” she mused. “And you.”

“I missed you too, Swan,” Neal nodded. “But I think you’re happier now,” he observed.

“I was happy when I skated under you,” Emma frowned, but he shook his head.

“No,” he said. “You did what was asked of you. You are so much freer now, you have a certain glow you didn’t have when you skated for me,” he explained.

Emma nodded, she got what he meant. She did feel happier, freer. She glanced at Regina, who was dancing with Ruby and Zelena and smiled. “I think she has something to do with it too,” she said.

Neal followed her glance and smiled. “I think she has a lot to do with it,” he said and looked back at Emma. “It suits you.”

Emma looked up at him. “Thank you,” she said. “I do miss working with you,” she admitted.

“Who knows, maybe I’ll grow tired of speed skating and switch to ice hockey,” he smirked.

Emma laughed out loud. “Yeah, when pigs start to fly, maybe.”

He chuckled at that. “You’re right. Speed skating is my life.”

“I know. It wasn’t mine,” Emma said, realising this was the first time she admitted that.

“Nope,” Neal agreed as he took a swig of his beer. “Oh, you did a number on Graham,” he said, looking curiously at Emma. “Is your hand okay?” he asked.

Emma chuckled. “I didn’t do that. She did,” she said as she pointed at Regina.

“Wow,” Neal said. “She has a good right hook.”

“Well, he deserved it,” Emma said, not tearing her eyes away from the dancing Regina. She looked so sexy.

“He did.”

Emma’s head whipped at Neal and she looked at him surprised. “Sorry?”

“He did,” Neal repeated. “Don’t tell him I said that,” he added slightly concerned.

“I wasn’t planning on talking to him anyway, so don’t worry,” she said. “But, seriously?”

Neal nodded. “What he did to you — unforgivable. And I heard him boast about it as well. That you dumped him and that he was fully prepared to take care of you and the baby,” he filled her in.

Emma’s mouth twisted. “Bastard,” she grumbled.

“But don’t worry about it,” Neal told her. “It looks like you’re the winner here,” he said as he pointed at Regina and Emma nodded.

“I am,” she said. “And I am getting my son back. Regina’s lawyer started the adoption process for me,” she told him with a smile.

Neal smiled and hugged her. “Congratulations,” he said. “You earned it.”

“Thanks,” she smiled. Finally, her drinks were delivered and Emma grabbed them. “I’ll see you around,” she said before she walked away.

“Definitely,” Neal replied. “Good luck with the next game.”

“Thanks. You too.”

With that, Emma walked off with the drinks.

~~~

Killian walked outside, the crowded space becoming too much for him. Across from the House, he spotted Merida sitting on a bench, looking a bit lost. He walked over to her.

“Hey,” he said when he stood before her. “Can I sit down?” he asked.

“Sure,” Merida nodded and Killian sat down next to her.

Silence fell between them, both staring at the House in front of them. Music and light-flooded outside, but other than that was it silent around them. Killian noticed the sad look on Merida’s face.

“Are you okay?” he asked.

Merida shrugged, not really in the mood for talking. But when she looked next to her, she met Killian’s friendly and worried eyes. “Not really,” she admitted.

“Because of the knee?” he guessed and Merida nodded.

“It was my dream to play in the Olympics, and now I’m not allowed anymore,” she told him, trying her hardest to talk English, but her thick accent was woven through it.

“I know how that feels,” Killian admitted. “I busted my knee just before an important game. I’m not allowed to play ever again.”

“So, that’s why you coach?” she guessed and Killian nodded.

“Yeah. I would’ve never believed I would love it this much, but I do,” he told her.

“I don’t know if I could do that,” Merida admitted. “Coaching in the sport I loved to do myself.”

“Never said it was easy,” he said. “But I couldn’t turn my back on it. And Victoria let me fall in love with it.”

Silence once again fell between them, both with their thoughts with Victoria. “I’m going to miss her,” Merida finally said.

“Me too,” Killian nodded, fighting down his tears. Instead, he looked aside at Merida. “I’ve got a proposition for you,” he said.

“What?” Merida asked.

“Will you be my assistant coach while we’re here?” he asked.

“For real?” she asked surprised.

“Yeah,” he nodded. “I can’t keep them in line on my own,” he joked.

Merida grinned and nodded. “Sure.”

“Great,” Killian smiled broadly. “Want to go back inside?” he asked when he saw her shiver.

“Yeah.”

Merida grabbed her crutches and, along with Killian, she hobbled back into the party.


	12. An Easy Win

The next day, Ruby woke up with a splitting headache. Even though there was no alcohol served in the Olympic Village, she felt like she had a hangover. Next to her, Zelena was still sleeping. Ruby turned so she could face the sleeping redhead and smiled. She was so lucky to have her. Zelena had taken her by surprise the other day by suggesting an open relationship but she was probably right, they both were bound to become restless at some point. Ruby knew the outside world would never completely understand them, but she felt like Zelena was her safe haven. And soon their little family would expand and Ruby had never felt so loved by anyone.

“Hey creeper,” Zelena croaked and Ruby smirked.

“Good morning, sleeping beauty,” she teased and kissed Zelena.

“What were you doing?” Zelena asked suspiciously.

“Just thinking about how lucky I am to have you,” Ruby replied.

Zelena smiled. “And I am lucky to have you.”

Ruby stretched and rolled out of bed. “I’m getting too old for this shit,” she complained.

“What shit?” Zelena asked as she got out of bed as well.

“Going out,” Ruby said. “My head feels like it’s exploding.”

Zelena chuckled and handed her some painkillers. “You’ll survive,” she said before walking into the shower.

“I feel the love,” Ruby remarked dryly with a smile on her face.

“Don’t you know it by now? I only love myself,” Zelena replied teasingly.

“You did say something else only a couple of hours ago,” Ruby threw back.

A thunderous laugh was her reply and, shaking her head with a smirk, Ruby took the pills. She really was lucky to have Zelena in her life. She knew she wouldn’t be settled for long, but she would always return to Zelena and could see them settle when they were old and wrinkled.

~~~

Emma stood with her hands deep in her pockets next to the snowboard park. She had agreed to meet up with Amelee after she had reached out to her. So now she stood in the early morning freezing her bottoms off.

Amelee came sliding towards her and made a sharp stop, showering Emma in the snow.

“Thanks,” Emma replied. “I already showered this morning,” she added dryly.

Amelee smirked and strapped the board loose from her feet before hugging Emma.

“Hi Swanny,” she smiled. “I missed you.”

“I missed you too,” Emma smirked, returning the hug.

“Come, let’s go inside,” Amelee said and led Emma to the little bar next to the snowboard park. “I was a bit surprised you texted me,” she said when they sat down.

“Why? I was curious about how you're doing,” Emma replied.

“Because I heard through the grapevine you are dating your hot captain,” Amelee teased her with a smirk.

Emma smiled and nodded. “Well, you heard that right,” she said.

“So that’s why I was surprised you reached out,” Amelee explained.

“I see,” Emma replied. “As I said, I only wanted to know how you are. I saw you board in the halfpipe,” she said.

“Did you now,” Amelee sighed. “Yeah, that wasn’t my best run. Kinda bummed me out.”

“Yeah, I get that. But you’ve gotten better!” Emma told her.

“You could see that?” Amelee asked surprised.

“Of course,” Emma nodded.

“Then you pay better attention than my current girlfriend,” Amelee chuckled.

Emma chuckled as well. “Maybe get a new girlfriend?” she smirked.

“Nah, the sex is too good,” Amelee laughed.

Emma shook her head and laughed as well. “Man, I missed you.”

“I missed you too,” Amelee smiled. “So, how does it feel to be back?” she asked, motioning around her.

“Weird, but good,” Emma mused. “I really thought I'd said goodbye to it, but apparently not.”

“Heard you guys are doing pretty good,” Amelee said.

“We are,” Emma said enthusiastically. “Yesterday we placed in the semi-finals.”

“Congratulations,” Amelee said, smiling warmly. “You look different,” she suddenly remarked.

Emma chuckled. “Neal said the same yesterday.”

“You spoke to Neal?” Amelee reacted surprised.

“I did, he was at the party,” Emma filled her in. “Oh, and do you know who the ice hockey team's head coach is??” Emma asked.

“No, who?” Amelee asked curiously.

“Victoria Belfrey,” Emma revealed.

“No way?!” Amelee exclaimed.

“Yes way,” Emma chuckled. “At first we didn’t talk, but we’re getting there.”

“Wow,” Amelee said. “That you didn’t kill her on the spot.”

“Yeah, I was just as surprised,” Emma chuckled. “So, tell me about this new girlfriend,” she asked curiously.

“Well, fiancée, actually,” Amelee smiled and Emma could see her face lit up.

“Wow, well done!” Emma smiled.

“Yeah,” Amelee nodded. “We met a couple of years ago at a fundraising. She does absolutely nothing in athletics and I have to say, it’s a breath of fresh air.”

Emma chuckled, thinking of Tessa. “I did that once, didn’t end well.”

“You just have to get lucky, I suppose,” Amelee agreed. “Looks like you did though.”

“Same to you. Do you have a picture?” Emma asked.

“I do!” Amelee exclaimed and dug up her phone.

She went through her photo’s and showed Emma a picture.

“Nice!” Emma complimented her. “So, when are you two tying the knot?” she asked.

“Next summer,” Amelee said. “Ooh, you two should come!”

“I will talk to her,” Emma nodded.

For the next hour, they caught up and hashed up old memories, until Amelee stood up. She needed to get back to training and Emma needed to get preparing for the game that afternoon. They said goodbye and promised to stay in touch.

~~~

Killian knocked softly on Victoria’s door, waiting for an answer. A weak 'yes' sounded through the door and he used the extra key he had gotten from the reception. The room was dark and he found Victoria sitting on the edge of the bed. Mulan’s grandmother was sitting behind her, massaging her and humming. She looked up when Killian entered, smiled at him and continued what she was doing. Killian sat down on the couch, looking up at Victoria.

“How are you feeling?” he asked softly, seeing how skinny she had become.

“Not good,” Victoria groaned. “I don’t think I can attend the game this afternoon.”

“I figured,” Killian nodded.

Mulan’s grandmother finished and Victoria thanked her. Mulan’s grandmother bowed deeply and left the room without saying a word.

“Peculiar woman,” Victoria remarked. “Are the girls ready?” she asked.

Killian nodded. “They are determined to get a medal,” he said.

“As they should,” Victoria said and groaned. She saw the worry grow in Killian’s eyes and cupped his face in her hands. “Promise me to not be sad for too long when I’m gone,” she asked.

“How can I promise that when I’m going to miss you so badly?” he asked.

“Because I know how strong you are,” she said.

“What if I’m not,” he protested. “I don’t know if I can do this without you.”

“Yes, you can,” she said as she laid down. “Because I trained you for it.”

Killian bowed his head, trying to conceal his tears. “I know,” he whispered.

“What is the game plan for this afternoon?” Victoria asked, trying to distract him.

Killian straightened, swallowing down the lump in his throat and started to explain. Victoria nodded in agreement. “Oh, and I asked Merida if she would like to be my assistant,” he said.

“Good idea, we can't lose her,” Victoria agreed. “Sounds like you've got this.”

“Thank you,” he smiled and stood up. “How about I let you get some rest?” he proposed.

“Sounds like a good idea,” she agreed. “Let me know how it goes.”

“I will,” Killian nodded. “Don’t go doing something crazy like dying, okay?” he said.

“I can’t promise anything,” she grimaced and winked at him.

He chuckled. “Fair enough.”

Quietly, he left the room and closed the door behind him, worry filling his heart. He didn’t like leaving her alone, but he felt she needed it…

~~~

Zelena knocked on Regina’s hotel room door. It was high time she and her sister talked because a lot had happened and they hadn’t talked much. The door opened and Emma appeared in the doorway.

“Hey Zee,” she greeted the redhead.

“Hey, Em,” Zelena smiled. “Is Regina in?” she asked.

“She is,” Emma said. “Gina, it’s your sister.”

Emma smiled at her and soon Regina appeared behind Emma. “Hey sis,” she greeted her. “What brings you here?” she asked.

“Well, feels like I haven’t seen you in ages, so I thought I'd come and say hi,” Zelena replied.

“Yeah, I feel the same,” Regina agreed. “Let’s go sit and talk,” she suggested.

“Good idea,” Zelena nodded.

“Let me get my key,” Regina said.

Zelena nodded and walked to the seat across the hallway. She waited for Regina to join her. Regina emerged from her room and hugged her sister.

“I missed you,” Zelena murmured in her hair.

“I missed you too,” Regina replied and sat down next to Zelena. “I didn’t realise this would happen,” she added.

“Me neither,” Zelena agreed. “But we both were a bit occupied,” she winked.

Regina grinned and nodded. “So, what’s been going on with you?” she asked. “How are you and Ruby?”

“Very good,” Zelena replied. “We decided to try an open relationship, as we are both very restless souls.”

Regina stared surprised at her. “Wow, that’s bold!” she said.

Zelena shrugged. “As long as we’re honest with each other, I think we can do it.”

“I think I would be too jealous,” Regina mused.

“I thought so too, but Ruby is special,” Zelena said. “We can do it.”

“I admire that in you,” Regina said with a smile. “You are much stronger than I am.”

“I don’t know about that, but I try,” Zelena replied. “And I made a decision about the little one,” she said.

“Oh?”

Zelena took a deep breath. “I’m keeping it.”

Regina smiled fondly. “Congratulations, sis,” she said. “But how are you going to do that with your open relationship?” she wondered out loud.

“I’m not sure yet, but I already love it more than anything in the world, besides Ruby,” she winked.

Regina chuckled. “I’m glad to hear that, and I’m sure Emma and I will want to babysit when he or she is here.”

“I’m betting on it,” Zelena smirked. “You two are going to be the cool aunts,” she said.

Regina laughed out loud at that. “Yeah, probably.”

“How are things going between you two?” Zelena asked.

“Pretty good,” Regina replied, getting a dreamy look on her face, which makes Zelena smile. “She’s officially adopting Henry when we get back.”

“Oh, congratulations!” Zelena exclaimed. “Henry must be over the moon.”

“He is,” Regina smiled. “And I want to discuss something with you.”

“Oh?”

“I want to ask Emma if she wants to move in now that we are going to be a family,” Regina told her, looking up at her sister.

Zelena smiled and nodded. “You should totally do that,” she said.

“But don’t you think it will become too crowded?” Regina wondered, frowning.

Zelena looked down and took a deep breath. “Well, I was thinking of moving out when or before the baby is born.”

“Really?” Regina asked surprised.

“Yeah, I wanted to give you and Henry some peace,” she chuckled.

“Are you going to ask Ruby to move in?” Regina asked.

“Thinking about it,” Zelena admitted, smiling.

Regina looked at her sister with a warm smile. “I’m gonna miss having you around,” she said.

“Me too,” Zelena replied. “But it will be for the best.”

“We do need to meet often though,” Regina said. “Because I need my sister.”

Zelena smirked. “We’ll be alright,” she smiled.

Emma suddenly appeared in the doorway, looking at them. “We got to go soon,” she said.

Regina checked her watched and nodded. “Yeah, we do.”

Zelena stood up and walked over to Emma to hug her. “You’re going to be an aunt,” she winked at her.

“Really?” Emma exclaimed. “Congratulations!”

“Thanks,” Zelena smiled. “I do need to tell August though,” she warned.

“Oh, I won’t say a word,” Emma promised.

Zelena and Regina hugged. “See you in a few,” Regina said and walked into her hotel room.

“Yeah,” Zelena agreed and walked off to her own room, happy that she talked with her sister.

~~~

The stadium was once again filled to the brim. Team GB had gathered a large fanbase during the Olympics and Emma loved it. Unlike the rest of the team, Emma wasn’t intimidated by the large crowd, she was used to it from her speed skating days. She could feel the rest of the team was really restless because of it. On their way to the stadium, they'd gotten a bigger group of fans asking for autographs outside the stadium. Regina, Zelena, Emma and Mulan were particular favourites. Emma hadn’t mind, she liked this part of the Olympics. She had sensed Regina, Zelena and Mulan needed some time to get used to it and the other members of the team had gotten some attention as well.

“Have you seen Victoria?” Regina asked as she strapped on her skates.

“No,” Emma shook her head. “Nor have I seen Merida. Is she okay?” she asked the others.

“She is back from the hospital,” Lily shrugged. “But I haven’t seen her today.”

“Maybe it’s too painful?” Ivy thought out loud. “I know I would feel like that if I had been injured.”

At that moment, the door opened and Killian and Merida entered the locker room. Merida was only wearing her hockey jersey but had a big smile on her face.

“Gather around, ladies,” Killian asked. “Victoria isn’t joining us today, she needs to rest. Merida is going to be my assistant for today,” he explained.

“Ay get ter gaffer you's lot around,” Merida grinned.

“You and bossing around?” Ella teased and laughed.

Merida flipped her off but was still sporting her big grin. Emma chuckled; this was perfect for Merida. This way she was still involved with the team and the games, and now that Victoria was more or less out of the running, Killian could use every help he could get. Emma had gotten a few questions yesterday at the party about Victoria's whereabouts but she had kept it vague. She knew Victoria wouldn’t like it if the entire Village found out about her illness — she had had enough trouble with telling people in the first place.

“Alright, we’re playing Korea today and we’ve beaten them before,” Killian kicked off and went on giving a pep talk. Emma listened with half an ear while she finished getting dressed. She picked up she would be on the ice the first period and she nodded. “Let’s keep the defence tight and the puck out of our goal,” Killian finished his speech.

Everyone agreed and Killian left the locker room, Merida followed him. She looked a tad beaten now that the realisation sunk in that she wouldn’t play. Emma smiled at her encouragingly and Merida nodded back, they understood each other.

“Well, that clears it up about Victoria,” Regina said.

Emma nodded. “I’m scared she…” her voice trailed off when she spotted Ana sitting across from them.

Regina followed her glance and nodded, she understood what Emma tried to say. “Same,” she sighed. “But we need to be prepared that it might indeed happen,” she added softly.

“Yeah.”

They were called to the ice and were the first to be announced. They made their way through the hallway and waited for the first name to be called. Regina, as captain, was called first and stepped onto the ice and into the light.

“You really think mom will die here?”

Emma startled and looked up. Next to her stood Ivy, looking regal and stiff.

“Shit,” Emma swore. “Sorry, I didn’t mean too…”

“Don’t apologize,” Ivy interrupted. “I’ve been thinking the same,” she admitted, her face falling into sadness.

“I’m sorry,” Emma offered again.

“If she hadn’t been so damn stubborn,” Ivy sighed.

“It wouldn’t have made a difference,” Emma said.

“It would,” Ivy objected. “It would have given us more time to process.”

Emma nodded. “Yes, that is true. But you know your mother.”

“I do,” Ivy nodded. “Thanks for keeping it under wraps, by the way,” she said.

“No problem,” Emma replied. “Everyone deserves privacy.”

Then her name was called and she sent a warm smile to Ivy. She knew then that she would do anything to help Ivy, Ana, and Killian through this.

Emma stepped onto the ice and waved at the crowd. Soon enough the whole team was presented and were they allowed to go to their dugout. Killian and Merida were waiting for them and Emma plopped down next to Merida.

“How are you holding up?” she asked the Scottish woman.

Merida shrugged. “Okay, I guess. I’d rather play dough,” she said.

“I get that,” Emma nodded. “You’ll be on the ice before you know it.”

Merida nodded. “I know. And until dun ay tinnie gaffer yous around,” she smirked.

Emma chuckled and nodded. “Deal.”

They both looked back at the ice where the Korean team got introduced. Emma saw not much had changed in their set-up and she was glad for it. They needed a game that went more smoothly.

Finally, it was time for them to take the ice and Emma couldn’t wait to get started. Regina went up for the power struggle and won. She played it to Ella, who passed it off to Emma. Emma grinned, she was enjoying this. She shot forward and dodged around the defence. She noticed the defence reacted slowly and so did the goalie. She scored easily and smirking, skating back. She had no idea how Korea managed to get into the semi-finals, but she didn’t really care. She was in the mood to play around and this team was giving her the opportunity. The Koreans tried to break through their defence but failed hard. Elsa didn’t have to try very hard to steal the puck and passed it to Regina. Regina looked around at Emma and Emma tagged along with her. Once again, they broke through the defence easily and Regina scored their second point. Under loud cheering from the crowd, they skated back to their positions.

“What the actual fuck?” Regina asked when they returned.

“No clue,” Emma replied shrugging. “Let’s just continue with our plan,” she said.

Regina nodded and watched Mulan steal the puck back. She saw an open spot in the defence and shot through it. Out of the blue, a Korean player tackled her and stole back the puck. Dazed, Mulan stood up and skated back, past Emma.

“Where did she come from?” she asked, still a bit dazed.

“No idea,” Emma replied. “But we got to keep her covered.”

Mulan nodded and relayed the message to Ella. Emma saw Ella was going after the Korean player. She didn’t manage to catch her, however, and the Korean woman slipped through the defence. She fooled Belle and scored.

“Talking about a secret weapon,” Regina noticed.

Emma chuckled and saw Ella was shadowing the woman now. Emma nodded and watched as Mulan got the puck again. Mulan shot forward and Emma tagged along. Mulan ran into a block and passed it off to Emma. Emma saw an opening and shot through it. She fooled the goalie and scored easily. The referee whistled, the first period was done. They retreated back to the locker room.

“Where the hell did that little bitch come from?” Mulan complained, moving her shoulder with a painful face.

“Good question,” Regina replied and went over to Mulan to inspect her shoulder. “We need to keep her under constant surveillance,” she said, eyeing Ella.

“Copy that,” Ella nodded and the other defensive players nodded as well.

“Before she appeared, I really was wondering how the Koreans had ended up in the semi-finals,” Emma said, placing her helmet on the bench next to her.

“I was thinking the exact same thing,” Elsa said. “But now I get it.”

The door opened and Killian entered the room, Merida following close.

“Ladies,” he started, his face was tight. “That number four was a nasty surprise, but now that we know, we can anticipate it,” he said. “I need her covered at all times.” Regina chuckled and Killian looked up questioning. “What?”

“We’ve already established that,” she explained patiently.

“Ah, right. Of course,” he nodded and stared at his clipboard. “Okay, the plan for the next period.” He started to go over the plan and Emma listened from the bench. Regina came to sit next to her, Mulan seemed to be okay. Killian told them the same set up would be on the ice and Emma grabbed her helmet. She was ready to kick their arse. “Let’s do it, ladies,” Killian said.

The team agreed wholeheartedly and he left the locker room, Merida following behind. Emma looked aside at Regina.

“Ready for the second round?” she asked with a wink.

Regina chuckled and bumped her shoulder. “I’m ready if you are.”

“Totally,” Emma replied.

Soon they were back on the ice and Emma saw that number four was back as well. She narrowed her eyes, the woman had to have a soft spot.

Regina went up for the power struggle on won it again. She passed the puck to Mulan, who immediately shot forward. Number four shot into action as well, heading for Mulan. Elsa shot forward, blocking her effectively. Mulan slipped through the defence, going straight for the goal. She shot the puck high in the right corner, scoring their third point. The crowd cheered her on and, with a big smile, Mulan skated back to her spot. Number four was shooting daggers her and Emma was scared she would tackle Mulan out of spite. Elsa had seen it as well and kept close to number four. The Korean tried to break through the defence, but because number four was so well guarded, they didn’t stand a chance. Regina stole the puck and passed it to Emma. Emma shot forward, passing the defence with ease, skating around the goal and scoring the fourth point. Under loud cheering, Emma returned to her spot.

“Show off,” Regina teased her.

Emma grinned but refrained from a reply. Adrenaline was shooting through her veins and she felt so alive. The Koreans were back in possession and once again they attacked the defence. One of the Korean players broke through, but Belle stopped the puck easily. She caught it in her glove and dropped back on the ice to immediately pass it to Elsa. Elsa grinned and shot forward. Number four tried to steal the puck, but Elsa was faster. Emma watched her go, recognising the speed skater stance. Else broke through the defence, getting tailed by number four, but managed to score their fifth point. As she skated back, the referee signalled the end of the second period. Joking around, team GB retreated back to the locker room.

“This way I’m happy to play,” Mulan smirked.

“Same,” Elsa laughed, she didn’t mind shadowing number four. “That number four wants us dead by now,” she smirked.

“I bet,” Mulan chuckled.

“We almost have them,” Regina said, a smile played on her face. “One more period to go.”

The door opened and Killian entered with Merida. “One more period to go, ladies,” he started and a few of the girls snickered. “What?” he asked.

“I just said that,” Regina chuckled.

“Oh,” he chuckled. “Maybe you should do my job then,” he added.

“Nooo, you can keep that. I’d like to stick to scoring,” Regina replied teasingly.

“Dammit, and here I thought I could go on a well-deserved vacation,” he teased back and laughed. Emma was glad he had his wit back a bit, she didn’t like seeing him sad. “Alright, as I said, one more period to go. Keep your heads on the game, it's not over yet.”

He started to unfold the plan for the last period. He benched Emma and Regina and most of the first set up, apart from Ella and Elsa. Zelena was up, along with Tiana, Aurora, and Ivy. Belle was still on goal.

Emma relaxed a bit, her muscles were sore. Killian and Merida left the locker room and soon it was time for the last period. Emma plopped down on the bench in the dugout and watched the game start up again. She noticed number four was still present, but she was confident the others could keep her out of the goal. Aurora went up for the power struggle and won. Emma noticed how much stronger she looked and how fiercer she was. She turned to Mulan who sat next to her.

“Aurora looks so much stronger,” she said to Mulan.

Mulan nodded. “She is,” she said. “Physical and mentally.”

“Good to hear,” Emma said with a smile, Mulan glowed whenever she talked about Aurora.

She looked back at the game and frowned when she saw number four had broken through the defence. She sped towards the goal, fooled Belle, and scored.

“Well damn,” she heard Regina murmur next to her.

“They will stop her,” Emma replied confidently.

“I know,” Regina replied. “I just enjoyed keeping that 1 on the scoreboard.”

Emma chuckled and watched the game go on. Ivy took the puck from Belle and skated forward. She sped up, slipping through the defence, and scored easily. The crowd once again erupted in cheering, the team on the bench joining in. The game went on and neither of the teams scored again until the end of the game.

The referee whistled the end of the game and, cheering, team GB skated their victory round. In a celebratory mood, they returned to the locker room, glad to have won this.


	13. Sword Of Damocles

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oooo my gosh guys, I'm soooo sorry for this unexpected hiatus. I did not mean for this to happen, but I've been sick and then life got in the way. I hope I can make it up to you all with this double update, I hope you all will enjoy it! And again, I'm so sorry!

The restaurant was filled to the brim when team GB had gathered downstairs. They halted at the entrance, surveying the room.

“We're not going to fit,” Killian said as he scratched his head.

They were about to turn around and find another place to have breakfast when Neal approached them.

“You guys can take our table, we were just done,” he said.

“Oh, thanks!” Killian smiled and they watched as the speed skaters left their table.

To her delight, Emma noticed Graham sporting a shiner and, when she looked to her side, Regina was smirking at the sight. Maria winked at them; apparently, she approved of Graham getting his arse kicked. Emma was curious about what he told the rest and she decided to text Maria later to ask.

After a short wait, they were able to sit down. Regina glanced at their group and came to the realisation Victoria wasn’t there. As she stood up, she motioned to Killian to walk along. They walked to the buffet and, when they were out of earshot of the group, Regina turned to Killian.

“How is Victoria?” she asked, concerned.

Killian looked up and saw Ruby was talking to Belle a couple of feet away. He walked further down the row of different types of bread before he answered.

“Not good,” he replied. “She wasn’t able to get out of bed this morning, so I asked Ivy to take something up.”

Regina nodded and scooped some yoghurt in a bowl. “How long do you think she still has left?” she asked softly.

Killian shrugged. “I’m really not a doctor,” he started. “But I don’t think long.”

Regina sighed. “She should be home with her daughters,” she said.

“I agree, but there’s no way she’s going home,” he told her.

“I know,” Regina said and she smiled comforting at him. “This must not be easy for you either,” she added.

He shook his head and Regina saw he was struggling to keep his emotions in check. “No,” he choked out.

“I’m sorry,” Regina offered him and he smiled thankfully at her.

“Thank you,” he said.

Regina nodded and walked back to the table. She sat down next to Emma, who was already wolfing down her breakfast.

“And?” she asked.

“Not good,” Regina replied with a sigh. “And I’m afraid poor Killian won’t cope well.”

Emma nodded and glanced at Killian. “We need to look after him.”

“Yeah, I was thinking the same,” Regina said and started to eat her breakfast.

~~~

An hour later, team GB was all geared up and already warming up. Killian had told them to expect a hard training as he felt they were slacking off. A few people had complained, but Regina had said she agreed. They were in the running for the top three and they needed to be on top of their game. The complaining had seized and now they were all warming up.

Emma skated next to Elsa, who looked worried. “What’s up?” she asked the other blonde.

“I didn’t see Victoria during breakfast,” Elsa said. “I’m worried about her.”

“We all are,” Emma replied. “But there is not much we can do.”

“I know,” Elsa nodded. “Excited for the next game?” she asked in an attempt to change the subject.

“Always,” Emma smiled. “If you told me two years ago I would fall in love with this game, I would’ve laughed.”

“Same,” Elsa smirked. “I used to think that when I stopped with speed skating my skating days were over, but I’m glad Anna convinced me to come watch a game.”

Emma nodded. “I’m glad I convinced my then-girlfriend to visit a recruitment talk from Zelena and Regina,” she grinned.

“Me too,” Elsa said and looked aside at Emma. “I’m really glad you joined us.”

“Me too,” Emma grinned. “I consider you all like family,” she added, her smile softening.

“I feel the same about you,” Elsa replied.

“Less talking, more skating!” Killian’s voice boomed over the ice.

Emma grimaced and, in silence, they finished the warming up. When Killian deemed it enough, he blew his whistle and the team gathered around him.

“Still no mum?” Ivy asked quietly.

Killian shook his head. “No, I’m sorry.” Ivy only nodded, but her eyes betrayed how she really felt. Next to her stood Ana, she had an ice-cold look in her eyes, uncannily like her mother’s ice-cold stare. Emma watched the two sisters and couldn’t imagine what was going through their heads now. “Alright, I want to start with passes. I want you all to line up in two rows across from each other at five feet. We’re going to pass the puck around,” he told them. They lined up and Killian passed the puck to Regina, who passed it to Ruby, who was standing across from her. Ruby passed it Emma, who stood next to Regina. The puck got passed that way down the line. When they finished, Killian nodded. “Quite easy, huh?” he chuckled. “We’re going a bit faster, and with more pucks.” He passed the puck to Regina and kept giving her more pucks until the first one reached the end of the line. At the end of the exercise, the entire team was huffing and puffing. “Alright, ten more laps!” Killian called and groaning the team went to do their laps.

“Does he want to have us dead?” Ruby complained.

“I think he wants to prove himself,” Emma guessed.

“But why does he need to use us for that?” Ruby groaned.

“Less talking!” Killian boomed.

When he deemed it enough, he blew his whistle and the team gathered around him again, gasping for air.

“What’s next, boss man?” Regina asked, looking up at him.

“Penalties,” he said. “In the past, we haven’t paid them much attention and up until now, we didn’t really have to. But the more difficult and challenging games are ahead of us and I want us to be prepared. Belle, do you want to kick off?” he asked.

“Sure thing.”

Belle skated to the goal and the rest of the team lined up in front of the goal. Ruby hung back and watched Belle. They had agreed to coach each other as best as possible.

Mulan was up first and, with the puck on her stick, she skated forward. She dashed left, right, left, right again and shot the puck through the middle. Belle stopped it with ease and smirked at Mulan, who shook her head and skated to the back of the line. So they went through the line, some scored, most didn’t. Killian watched them closely.

“Alright, we’ll pick this up the next time,” he said when the time was up. “I would advise you all to keep working on it, even if we’re not on the ice,” he said with the team gathered around him. From the corner of his eyes, he saw the next team approach. “Okay, hit the showers. Team meeting in 30 minutes,” he reminded them.

The team skated off to hit the showers.

“I feel like we started doing penalties way too late,” Emma said as she stripped out of her gear.

Regina nodded. “Victoria never found them really important,” she explained. “We never even qualified and never had to do penalties.”

“I see,” Emma nodded. “Well, I think I agree with Killian. We are going to learn them. Quick.”

“Yes,” Regina agreed. “Guys, listen up. I suggest an extra training this afternoon to practice penalties,” she said to the rest.

“Sure, but we don’t have the ice,” Ella noted.

“I know, but we can practice in the field. I brought some hockey balls with me, just in case,” Regina replied.

“Good thinking,” Lily said. “I’m in.”

“Me too,” Ruby said and Belle nodded as well.

The rest of the team agreed as well, all of them saw the necessity of it.

“Good. Let’s meet at four on the track field,” Regina suggested.

Everyone nodded. Regina sat down again and Emma looked aside.

“Well, there went my idea of spending the rest of the day in bed,” she smirked.

Regina looked at her sceptically. “You wish,” she deadpanned.

Emma laughed and jumped up to hit the showers. Regina shook her head and followed her soon after…

~~~

Victoria had managed to eat a bit, but her head felt so tired. For the past few days she'd had trouble with her sight, she couldn’t focus. Her right eye was especially bad. She even thought she was having seizures because she missed larges gaps in her memory. One moment she was talking with Mulan’s grandmother — they have developed some hand signs — and the next she was in the dark. Mulan’s grandmother had confirmed her suspicions and she knew that she had started the last stage of her illness. The doctor had explained them to her just before she had left for Beijing and had urged her to return to England when she was indeed having seizures. Victoria only knew she wouldn’t survive the trip back home and she refused to leave her children behind. A knock on the door made her groan, but she forced herself to sit up.

“Yes?” she croaked and frowned — was it already time for Mulan’s grandmother to visit?

She tried to look at the clock, but her sight failed her again. The door opened and Ana stepped inside the room.

“Hey, mum,” she said.

“Hey, baby,” Victoria smiled, at least she could recognise the voices of her daughters.

Ana went over to hug her mother and ended up next to her on the bed, laying comfortably in her mother’s arms.

“I think you picked a worthy successor,” Ana told her mother.

“Yeah?” Victoria croaked, closing her eyes.

“Yeah, he rode us real hard today,” Ana said. “We practised penalties.”

“Good,” Victoria replied, relishing in having her daughter near.

“Regina suggested we practice them again later this afternoon. We kind of sucked at them,” Ana chuckled. “But we’ve got a few who are pretty good at them. Like Emma and Lily. They really have a knack for them.”

“That’s good to hear, baby,” Victoria said, trying her hardest not to succumb to sleep again.

She wanted to spend some more quality time with her daughter and she forced her eyes open. Her left eye finally focused, but her right had just given up.

“I wish you were still training us,” Ana sighed. “I’m not sure if I’m going to keep playing when you…” her voice trailed off, not wanting to say the painful words.

“You need to keep playing, Ana,” Victoria urged her. “I will be with you on the ice the most,” she added.

Ana nodded and stayed quiet for a while. Victoria stared at the dark brown hair, memorizing how she felt in her arms. “But what if it hurts too much?” Ana finally whispered.

Victoria fought down the tears when she heard that, she never wanted to hurt her daughters. “It will for a while,” she finally said. “But in time, it will get better.”

“What if it doesn’t?” Ana insisted.

“It will,” Victoria said. “Because you are my daughter.”

Ana nodded at that and a determined sigh escaped her. “And we have ice in our veins.”

Victoria chuckled at that, as she was sure that was definitely not a meant as a compliment. A sharp, blinding pain went through her head. After that everything went black and the last thing she remembered was Ana's scared face…

~~~

Mulan entered her hotel room and found Aurora reading in the armchair near the window. She leant against the wall, looking at her girlfriend. She felt so warm and safe whenever Aurora was near. She had just come back from meeting up with her parents and grandmother and what her grandmother had told her wasn’t pretty. Victoria was in her final stage and her grandmother couldn’t predict how much longer it would take, but she didn’t think she would survive long enough to see the end of the Olympics. Mulan had promised not to tell the others, but she needed to tell someone.

“Hey, you,” Aurora greeted her with a smile when she spotted her girlfriend.

A smile spread across Mulan’s face as she pushed off the wall and walked over to Aurora. “Hey,” she said as she kissed Aurora.

“How are your parents and grandmother?” Aurora asked as Mulan sunk to the ground to sit in between Aurora’s legs.

It was her favourite position as Aurora always started playing with her hair at some point or another.

“Good,” Mulan sighed and stared outside.

“But?” Aurora asked.

“My grandmother,” Mulan started, still not sure if she should tell Aurora. “She told me that Victoria is very sick and has reached the last stage of her life.”

“Shit…” Aurora murmured.

“Yes,” Mulan sighed.

“Do the rest know?” Aurora asked.

Mulan shook her head. “My grandmother told me not to tell.”

“I can see why,” Aurora nodded. “But they may want to say goodbye,” she added.

“Yeah, I know. But it’s not up to me,” Mulan said and looked up at Aurora. “I’m going to miss her.”

“Me too,” Aurora said. “She wasn’t the easiest person to be with, but she’s a great coach.”

“Yeah,” Mulan replied. “We should at least win bronze for her.”

“At least,” Aurora smiled and bent forward to kiss Mulan.

Mulan chuckled in the kiss. “Since when are you Spiderman?” she asked.

“Wouldn’t you like to know,” Aurora teased.

Mulan laughed and stood up. She pulled Aurora up from the chair and took her in her arms.

“I love you, dork,” she said.

“And I love you, nerd,” Aurora replied.

~~~

Hand in hand, Ruby and Zelena walked through the Village. They were on their way to go watch snowboarding, the slalom this time.

“So, I’ve been thinking,” Ruby started a bit nervously.

“About what?” Zelena asked, suddenly scared Ruby was going to back out of their relationship.

“About how much I like sharing a room with you,” Ruby said and bit on her lip nervously.

“Really?” Zelena asked surprised, she hadn’t expected this.

Ruby nodded. “Yeah, and how we were going to continue this open relationship with a kid. A child needs a solid base,” she said.

“Agreed,” Zelena nodded. “So, what do you propose?” she asked, hardly daring to ask.

Ruby stopped walking, took a deep breath and finally looked up at Zelena. “How would you think about living together?” she asked in one breath. “I’m dying to get away from that dusty attic and I don’t think I can sleep alone anymore now,” she added with a smile.

A smile broke on Zelena’s face and cutely she bit on her lower lip. “Can you read my mind or something?” she asked.

“No, why?” Ruby frowned.

“I was going to talk to you about the same,” Zelena chuckled.

“No way!” Ruby exclaimed, a smile forming on her face as well. “So, is that a yes?”

“Definitely,” Zelena replied. “I know Emma and Regina have plans to move in together, and with this little one coming, I wanted to spare Regina and Henry the crying in the middle of the night,” Zelena explained as they continued walking.

“How considerate of you,” Ruby smirked.

Zelena pushed her playfully, making Ruby only smirk wider.

“We’re really going to do this, huh?” Zelena sighed.

“Apparently,” Ruby confirmed. “And I wouldn’t do it with anyone else.”

“Me neither,” Zelena smiled.

They found their places at the stands and waited for the event to start. Zelena curled up against Ruby, she didn’t care if anyone saw them. Being gay had become less of a problem over the years, but she knew it was still frowned upon. A lot of athletes were still in the closet, but Zelena had decided not to be one of them.

“Have you heard anything about Victoria?” Ruby asked as she wrapped her arm around Zelena’s waist.

“No,” Zelena replied. “But my gut is telling me it’s not good.”

“I have the same feeling,” Ruby replied. “She’s going to be missed.”

“Her character left a lot to desire for, but she’s a tremendous coach,” Zelena agreed.

“Yeah,” Ruby sighed.

The event started, but neither of them was really there. They were with Victoria, Ivy, and Ana in their thoughts…

~~~

Ivy had seen how spooked Ana had looked when she had returned from their mother. Ana hadn’t spoken much about it, only that they had a good talk. She had urged Ivy to go see their mother. After much persuasion from Ivy, Ana had finally told what had spooked her. At the end of their conversation, Victoria had gotten a small seizure. In a panic, Ana had called Killian and he had taken care of Victoria with such calm, it was as if he had seen it before. It had made Ivy think, and she realised he probably had. Ivy had always resented Killian, as Victoria had given him so much more love and attention than her own daughters. She knew better now, after she and Killian had a good talk and she considered Killian a brother.

_Before it was too late._

It was what Ana had said to her when trying to convince Ivy to go see their mother. That’s why Ivy found herself standing in front of her mother’s hotel room, fiddling with the key card Killian had given her and postponing actually entering the room. Ivy knew this would probably be the last time she saw her mother alive and the coming goodbye hung above her head like the sword of Damocles. She took a deep breath, stepped forward and nodded. She waited to open the door until she heard the weak yes. The room was dark and she found her mother sitting propped up on the bed. Her mother looked so frail and but a shell of the woman she used to be. Ivy tried to swallow down the lump that was forming in her throat, but it only seemed to grow.

“Ivy? Is that you?” Victoria asked, squinting at her.

“Yes, mom, I’m here,” Ivy replied and walked over to the bed.

She too kissed her mother and soon found herself next to the woman she had hated for half of her life and in her arms. Yet all the hate and resentment seemed to flow out of her body and she curled up against her mother.

“I’m glad you’re here,” Victoria said.

“Me too,” Ivy replied.

“Ana told me that Killian has been training you hard?” Victoria asked.

Ivy chuckled. “Yes. It seems like he wants to prove something. That he can be just as hard as you,” she explained.

Victoria went silent for a moment and Ivy was scared she was having another seizure or something.

_Or died right there._

“Will you please tell him that I don’t want him to be me?” Victoria whispered finally. “I’ve made so many mistakes and I don’t want him to do the same.”

“I will tell him,” Ivy promised. “But I think it’s better if it comes from you,” she added.

“I don’t know if I will be able to, love,” Victoria said and it made Ivy’s heart stop for a moment.

“Please mom,” she begged.

Victoria looked down at her and smiled softly. “I will try,” she promised.

“Good,” Ivy said.

“After I’m gone,” Victoria started and Ivy wanted to interrupt her, but Victoria threw her one of her famous glances and she shut up, listening to what Victoria had to say. “After I’m gone, you will be the oldest in the family. Promise me to look after your sister and Killian.”

Once again, Ivy tried to swallow down the lump in her throat but it wouldn’t budge. Instead, a few tears escaped down her cheek.

“I don’t know if I can,” she choked.

“I know you can,” Victoria said. “You are so like me.”

“Is that a compliment?” Ivy asked, trying to lighten the mood.

Victoria chuckled. “Perhaps not. Don’t let your heart go cold, my love,” she said as she looked lovingly at her oldest daughter.

“I promise,” Ivy said, knowing this was serious. “And I promise I will look after Ana and Killian,” she added.

“Thank you,” Victoria replied, her voice no more than a whisper.

Ivy sat up when she felt her mother’s arm go limp. For a moment she held her breath, but Victoria was still breathing, she had only fallen asleep. Ivy pressed a kiss to her mother’s temple and softly left the room. She closed the door behind her and only took a few steps before she broke down in the middle of the hallway. She fell to her knees and cried. Everything seemed to flood out of her — the anger, the resentment, the love, the grief, everything. She hardly noticed it when two strong arms wrapped around her and Killian brought her back to her room, where Ana was waiting for her. As soon as she saw her crying sister, she wrapped her in a hug and together they cried. Killian stood watching them until Ivy reached out for him. He grabbed her hand and she pulled him into the hug. Killian couldn’t hold it any longer either and broke as well…

~~~

  
At four o’clock sharp, the team had gathered on the track field. They were all geared up and were talking amongst themselves when Regina and Emma joined them.

“Glad you all could join us,” Regina smiled as Emma quickly joined the team.

“Is Killian not coming?” Kathryn asked.

Regina shook her head. “He is with Victoria.” Kathryn nodded, she understood. Ruby had made a provisory goal with two jackets and Regina nodded appreciatively. “Okay, just like this morning,” Regina said. “Ruby, do you want to be on goal?”

“Sure thing,” Ruby nodded and dashed to the goal.

They lined up and Merida handed them the balls. She cheekily winked at Emma and Emma smiled.

“How is your knee?” she asked.

“Not bad, not bad,” Merida replied. “But still not cleared to play.”

“I’m sorry,” Emma offered.

“Don’t worry about it,” Merida said. “At least it isn’t permanent.”

“True,” Emma nodded.

“Emma! Come on!” Regina called her and Emma jogged into the line.

“Sorry,” she grinned.

“I know you’re my girlfriend, but not on the field,” Regina reprimanded her, but her eyes shone with joy.

“That’s not what you said last night,” Emma smirked.

Regina shook her head and went up for the next penalty. She took the ball on her stick, started running to the goal and scored with a ball straight through the middle. She smirked and jogged to the back of the line. Emma was up next and now she noticed the disadvantage of not being on the ice. She couldn’t perform her normal trick of skating real fast, so she decided to go old school. She faked left, right, left and scored in the right corner. At least, that was what she envisioned. Ruby saw her coming and stopped her goal with ease.

“Better luck next time, Swan,” Ruby called after her. Emma flipped her off.

They went through the line two more times when Regina called for a break. Merida handed them water bottles and they plopped down on the grass. Regina eyed Ivy, who looked pale and not quite there. She sat down next to Ivy, handing her a bottle of water.

“Are you okay?” she asked discretely, looking sideways at the younger woman.

“Not really,” Ivy admitted. “Mother is not going to make it home alive,” she said.

Regina nodded, not really sure what to say. “I’m sorry,” she offered at last.

“Thank you,” Ivy replied, trying to smile. She looked around at the team. “I’m not sure if I’ll be able to play when the time comes,” she said.

“And that’s okay,” Regina replied. “Just let me know what you feel comfortable with.”

“I will,” Ivy said. “Thanks.”

Regina nodded and gave her a quick hug before she stood up. “Alright, let’s go again,” she called out.

The team rose to their feet and this time Belle walked to the goal. Regina watched them go and wondered what it would do to them if Victoria did indeed pass before the Olympics were over. Nothing good, she figured as she closed the line.

~~~

Killian was reclined in the armchair next to Victoria’s bed. He watched her sleep and he was glad she was sleeping peacefully. He almost fell asleep when Victoria’s hand touched his arm and he looked up.

“Hey,” he greeted her softly.

“Hey,” she replied and hoisted herself up.

“What are you doing?” he asked, already prepared to catch her.

“I want to get out of this bed,” she replied and rose from the bed. “I want to see them one more time.”

Killian looked up at her with a frown. “Are you sure?” he asked.

“I am,” she nodded. “Please help me.”

“Okay,” Killian agreed and helped her get changed. He helped her into her coat and gave her an arm before they walked out of the room. Victoria walked stiffly but surely. They stepped into the elevator and Killian pushed the button.

“Killian,” Victoria started. “I feel the end coming. Promise me to look after my girls.”

She looked up to him and he saw the sincerity and sorrow in her eyes. He swallowed thickly and nodded. “I promise.”

“Promise me you won't turn into me. You are a good coach and there’s no need to become as cold and icy as me,” she continued.

“Victoria,” he started, but she raised her hand to shut him up.

“I know I have been an ice-cold bitch. You are too good for that. You are a very talented coach and you don’t need to scare your team,” she told him. “You don’t need to compensate for a shitty character.”

“That’s enough, Victoria,” Killian said firmly. “You are not as bad as you think. You cared for me when my own mother didn’t. You were there for me. You mean the world to me.”

Victoria looked at him, her eyes filled with tears. “You are too sweet,” she said. “But I know I’m not a good person.”

The elevator dinged and they walked out of the elevator. “You made wrong choices, but that doesn’t make you a bad person,” Killian objected.

“Let’s agree to disagree?” Victoria proposed with a small smile.

With a smirk, Killian shook his head. “Fine.”

He led her to the field where the team was training penalties. They stood still at the edge of the field watching them. They watched the team go through the drills Regina was conducting. Victoria forgot about all the pain and her coming faith as she watched her team go through the motions in unison. Merida was the first one to notice her and she waved at her. On her crutches, she made her way to the other side of the field and stood still before Victoria with a broad smile.

“Hey,” she greeted her coach. “You're e'yer!” she exclaimed excitedly.

“I am,” Victoria smiled. “How is your knee?” she asked concerned, seeing Merida was favouring her good leg.

“Iddle be or'rite,” Merida told her. “Juss need welt.”

Victoria nodded. “Good to hear. And I hear you are promoted to assistant coach,” she smiled.

“I am,” Merida beamed and winked at Killian.

“How are they doing?” Victoria asked, motioning to the team.

Merida turned so she could see the team. “Dee ay gett'n thus,” Merida said.

Victoria frowned, she didn’t quite get that. Killian chuckled and bowed forward to whisper in her ear. “They are getting there.”

Victoria nodded appreciatively. “Good to hear,” she answered.

Ivy was the next to spot Victoria and her face went even whiter. She dropped her stick, pulled Ana out of the line and walked over to Victoria.

“Is everything alright?” she asked Killian, not able to look at her mother.

“Ivy,” Victoria said softly and touched her daughter's arm. “I’m okay,” she assured her.

Now Ivy looked at her mother. “You shouldn’t be here,” she whispered.

“I know, but I wanted to see you guys,” Victoria smiled.

With Ivy and Ana leaving the line, she had effectively pulled the attention of her team. They abandoned their training and walked over to their coach.

“Good to see you, coach,” Regina smiled at her.

“It’s good to see all of you,” Victoria replied. “Are you all ready for Japan?” she asked.

“We are,” Emma responded. “Are you?” she asked with a small smile.

Victoria returned the smile. “We will see,” she said, a sad tone hinted through her voice. Emma nodded and was about to reply when Victoria clapped her hands. “What are you all standing around for? Go on, get back to training,” she said, her voice sounding as strong as it used to.

Every single person of the team shook her hand or gave her a hug before they jogged back to the line. Victoria urged her daughters to go too, as they lingered behind. Emma was the last person to say goodbye. She knew it was a goodbye, she could see it in Victoria’s eyes.

“It’s really good to see you,” she whispered before she hugged the frail woman before her.

“Same to you, Emma,” Victoria smiled. “Now, go. Please.”

Emma smiled, glanced up at Killian who tried not to show his emotions, and took off to the rest of the team. Victoria watched them as long as she could. When she felt the strength leave her legs, she asked Killian to bring her back to her room. Just before she left the field, she glanced back one more time to memorize the laughter that went up from the field. She smiled, silently wished them well and walked away…


	14. Last Goodbye

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW: Character death

The stadium was once again filled to the brim, team GB’s fanbase had grown over the course of the Olympics. Emma had read that the tickets to visit the games had gone up astronomically and she found that pretty funny. They were getting ready for the game against Japan. If they won, they would go up against the really big guys. Emma was looking forward to it; up until now, they had done great. They hadn’t lost a game and that felt really good. Killian and Merida had just left, and once again Victoria was absent. Emma had been surprised to see her the day before, especially because she looked so frail. She suspected the woman had lost a lot of weight over the past few weeks and that the cancer was much more aggressive than Victoria had told them. Mulan had agreed, and her grandmother hadn’t been positive.

“Are you ready?” Regina asked, pulling Emma effectively out of her mind.

Emma nodded and clasped the last clasp of her skate close. “I am.”

Regina looked at her closely and finally nodded. “Head in the game,” she said.

“Head in the game,” Emma repeated, but they both knew the entire team was thinking of one person, Victoria.

“She should be here,” Ella sighed.

“She is with us, in her mind,” Lily said, sounding pretty sure. “We've got to believe that, otherwise we’ll be driving ourselves crazy,” she added.

“I agree,” Regina said. “We’re doing this for her.” The team murmured in agreement. Regina turned to face Emma, her face betrayed how she really felt. “This is gonna be tough,” she whispered.

“Yes, but we are here to back you up,” Emma said.

Regina nodded and smiled. Soon they were called to the ice and they went through the whole circus of being introduced. Finally, they lined up on the ice and Regina went up for the power struggle. She lost it and Emma felt the team’s focus wavering. The Japanese player flew through the defence, but Ruby stopped the puck. Emma exchanged a look with her, they both were thinking the same. Ruby passed her the puck and Emma shot forward. Mulan woke up and skated after her. Emma ran into a block and managed to pass the puck off to Mulan. Mulan backtracked because she ran into a block as well. She passed the puck to Regina, who made another attempt to break through the defence. She lost the puck and the Japanese tried to break through the defence. Regina went after the player and performed a cutting on the edge tackle, but the referee let it go. Emma followed Regina and they reached the goal at the same time. With all the power, anger and grief Regina had in her, she made a shot at the goal. The goalie stopped it with a bit of trouble and, annoyed, Regina returned to their half, Emma trailing after her.

“Regina,” Emma said sternly. “Calm down.”

Regina looked at her and Emma could see the struggle in her eyes. Then she nodded and ducked her head. “I know,” she choked out. “I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay,” Emma said. “Just, try to blank your mind. Only think of the game,” she added.

“I’ll try.”

A Japanese player whooshed past them but ran into a block. Ella managed to get the puck back and passed it to Mulan. Emma shot into action as well, following Mulan in case she needed help. Mulan managed just fine, dashing past the remaining defence players and faced off with the goalie. The goalie, however, was fast and stopped the goal. As Mulan skated back to her half, the referee whistled the end of the first period. Down and quiet, team GB retreated back to the locker room. Everyone felt their heads weren’t in the game and Regina didn’t know how to change that. She wasn’t there herself either, even when she knew how important this game was. The door blew open and Killian stormed in, followed shortly by Merida.

“What the hell is wrong with you?” he went off. “The defence is sloppy, the wings are sleeping and what the hell is centre doing?” he barked. “I know who is on all of our minds, but wasn’t she the one who drilled us? Wasn’t she the one that pushed us over our limits to win? How dare you all to let your guard down and practically invite Japan in our backyard? We need to win this. For her!” he ended, almost breathing fire.

Emma frowned, she had never seen him like this. He was right of course and Emma saw the rest of the team was listening as well. She could feel the energy change in the team. Killian went over the tactics for the second period, changing the line up as well. Tiana, Zelena, Elsa, Alice, Tink and Ruby were on the ice this period. Emma nodded, this was a wise decision. Killian left the locker room, they had only a few more minutes to spare before the second period would start.

“Killian is right,” Regina said. “We’ve let her down this first period. This is not the team she has trained. We have to do better,” she continued. “Let’s make her proud.” She stepped forward, stretching out her hand motioning for the rest of the team to join her. “For Victoria!”

“For Victoria!” the rest chorused.

Soon after they were called back to the ice, Emma plopped down on the bench. Regina sat down next to her, her eyes were focussed on the team on the ice. Alice went up for the power struggle and won. She passed the puck to Zelena, who immediately shot forward with the puck on her stick. Zelena dodged the defence and Emma could see she was clearly paying attention. She skated around the back of the goal, trying to throw off the goalie. It worked, and Zelena scored their first point. The team and part of the crowd erupted in cheers. Zelena skated back, low fiving her teammates in the dugout.

“Nice,” Regina said next to Emma. “We can do this.”

Emma nodded. “We totally can.”

The rest of the period, the Japanese team tried to score, but the defence did their work and Ruby was on top of her game. Of course, the British team tried to score again but had no luck. The referee whistled, signalling the end of the second period. Emma followed Regina back into the locker room.

“Congrats, Zelena,” Emma smiled and gave her a high five.

“Thanks,” Zelena beamed.

“If we keep this up, we can win this,” Regina started. “We need to keep them out of our goal.”

“Shouldn’t you let Killian do the pep-talk?” Ella teased her, her eyes were shining with amusement.

Regina flipped her off, but the smirk on her face betrayed her. She was just about to continue when the door opened and Killian entered. Emma just caught the concerned look on his face as he put away his phone in his back wallet. Emma frowned, something was wrong. Very wrong.

Killian looked up with a smile on his face. “That was an amazing goal, Zelena,” he said as he slapped Zelena on her shoulder.

“Thanks,” Zelena said. “Emma's partially responsible, she taught me the trick.”

Emma smirked and winked at Zelena. “You’re welcome.”

“Nonetheless, we are one point ahead and they haven’t even come close to the goal this period. I’m proud of you,” he said before he explained the tactics. Emma, Regina, Ella, Mulan, Zelena and Elsa would be on the ice the last period. “We can do this,” he ended his little pep talk before he left the locker room.

Emma decided not to mention what her gut was telling her when Killian entered the room. There was no reason to upset the team and she didn’t have the chance to go ask what was wrong. She took a deep breath and put on her helmet. She strapped it tight and grabbed her stick.

“Ready?” Regina asked.

“Yeah,” Emma nodded.

Regina looked at her with a questioning look and for a second Emma was afraid she could guess something was wrong, but she nodded and walked out of the locker room. Emma took another deep breath and followed her to the ice.  
The third period had a rocky start, Regina lost the power struggle and the Japanese player broke through the defence. Ruby was just about able to stop the goal. Regina had a short word with Elsa and Zelena and skated back to her post. She glanced at Emma who stuck up her thumb to ask if everything was okay. Regina nodded and soon the puck was back in the field. Mulan took it but got tackled hard to the ground. Luckily, she stood up soon enough, but the Japanese player was sent off the ice. The British team did everything in their power to keep the puck out of their net, while the Japanese tried very hard to break through. Emma breathed out in relief when the referee whistled the end of the game and the British team skated their victory rounds.

Soon they were back in the locker room, getting changed.

“They almost had us,” Regina said.

“Luckily, they didn’t,” Ruby replied but knew what Regina meant.

“We really have to up our game, ladies,” Regina mused. “We’re in the big leagues now.”

“We might face Canada next,” Emma said.

“Shit,” Ella swore. “They are really good.”

Regina nodded. “They are.”

The door opened and Killian and Merida entered the locker room.

“Congratulations,” he beamed. “We are officially placed in the semi-finals tomorrow,” he said.

“Do you know who we play?” Emma asked.

He nodded and his face turned darker. “Canada.”

“Fuck,” Regina groaned.

“Hey, we can do it!” Killian tried to lift their spirits. “Japan was also a hard cookie to crack, but we did it anyway.”

“True,” Ruby nodded. “We just got to work harder. But we can do that.”

Emma looked up at Killian. “Does Victoria know we won?” she asked.

Killian shook his head and the concern she had seen before, returned on his face. “No. I can’t get a hold of her,” he said.

“I’ll go by her room to check on her, okay?” she offered.

Killian nodded. “Please.”

Emma nodded and stood up to go take a quick shower. She had the feeling she would find something she wouldn’t like…

~~~

Emma knocked on the door of Victoria’s hotel room. She waited, but no answer sounded from the other side of the door. She swallowed and opened the door with the key she had gotten from Killian. She walked into the dark room and saw Victoria laying in bed under the covers. Emma walked over, her hands already getting clammy. As she approached the bed, Victoria looked like she was sleeping, but when she looked closer, she didn’t see Victoria’s chest rise and fall and fear crept up in her veins. Emma knelt next to the bed and, with shaking fingers, she took Victoria’s wrist in her hands. She fumbled a bit, searching for a pulse. She closed her eyes, praying for one. But Victoria’s skin already felt cold in her hands and Emma knew she was gone. She swallowed against the lump in her throat, but it only grew bigger. Tears escaped her eyes and quietly Emma cried sitting next to the bed and holding Victoria’s wrist. She had spent so long hating this woman and now she was just gone. Emma was glad they had talked, but she hadn’t been ready to say goodbye just yet. It wasn’t fair that Victoria had to die like this, she should at least have seen them win a medal. Emma let go of her hand and stood up. She wiped away the tears and pulled her phone out of her pocket. She dialled the first person she thought of.

“Hey, it’s me. Can you come to Victoria’s room? Thanks.”

She hung up and sat down in the armchair. Emma looked at the now peaceful look on Victoria’s face and she was glad for it. At least she didn’t suffer too much in the end. Emma’s eye fell upon the little bottle on the nightstand, it was empty. Frowning, Emma grabbed it and saw they were very strong painkillers. She swallowed, Victoria had decided when it had to end. Emma chuckled dryly, that was typical Victoria. She glanced back at the older woman.

“I hope you are at peace now,” she said.

A knock on the door made her look up and she stood up, putting the empty bottle in her pocket. She opened the door and saw Regina waiting for her.

“I came as soon as I could,” she said and Emma let her in.

“Thank you,” Emma replied.

Regina stood still before the bed, looking down at Victoria.

“Did she…?” she asked, not daring to really ask the question.

Emma nodded. “She’s already cold. I think it happened last night.”

Regina nodded and went over to the side of the bed. Emma watched her kneel next to the bed and take a moment to say goodbye. Regina stood up and walked back to Emma. She pulled Emma into her arms and for a moment they stood like that, Emma with her arms around Regina’s waist.

“She didn’t deserve this,” Emma whispered. “We were not done and she was definitely not done living.”

“No,” Regina replied. “But she can rest now.”

Emma nodded and let go off Regina. “We need to tell the others,” she said.

“Yeah. I’ll ask everyone to meet us in the meeting room,” Regina proposed.

“I think we need to tell Ivy, Ana and Killian first,” Emma sighed, she did not look forward to that conversation.

“Yeah,” Regina agreed. “Do you want me to do it?” she asked.

Emma shook her head. “No, I’ll do it.”

“Okay.”

Hand in hand they left the room, closing the door behind them. Regina hung the 'do not disturb' sign on the outside of the room.

“I’ll see you in the meeting room,” Emma said.

“I’ll wait for you,” Regina replied and pulled Emma into another hug. “Good luck.”

“Thank you.”

Emma kissed Regina, holding her for a bit longer. She didn’t want to let her girlfriend go, she wanted to be close to her.

“I love you,” Regina whispered.

Emma looked up and saw fresh tears shine in Regina’s eyes. “I love you, too.”

~~~

Wringing her hands, Emma paced through her hotel room. She had asked Killian, Ivy and Ana to come without telling them what was going on. The knock on the door startled her and she went to open it. Killian, Ivy and Ana were waiting outside. Killian looked like he already knew what was going on and Ivy and Ana looked really fearful.

“Come in,” Emma said and let them in.

They plopped down on the bed and Emma took a moment to gather her emotions. She walked back into the room and three pair of eyes looked up at her.

“What’s going on?” Ivy asked.

Emma swallowed and took a deep breath. “You know I went to check up on Victoria, right?” she asked and they all nodded. “Well, uhm,” Emma continued and realised there was no easy way to break it to them. “She died in her sleep last night,” she said as gently as she could.

Deadly silence followed until Ana started to cry. Ivy immediately took her in her arms and joined her tears. The two sisters clung to each other. Emma looked at Killian, who looked devastated at the wall in front of him. She knelt before him and touched his knee to let him know she was there. It took a few moments for him to register, but he finally turned his head towards her.

“I knew it,” he said with a hoarse voice. “She always answered when I called.”

“I know,” Emma said, and he finally broke.

She took him in her arms, also keeping half an eye on the sisters. Ivy reached out towards Killian and he went over to them. Emma took a step back, she needed to let them mourn. Her phone buzzed and she saw Regina had texted her. She had gathered the team in the meeting room.

“I need to go meet the others,” she told them. “But stay here as long as you want.”

No one really replied, but Emma knew they had heard. She walked out of the room and closed the door softly behind her. She walked over to the elevator fighting against her tears while she waited for it to arrive. When the doors of the elevator closed behind her, Emma let herself go for a moment. This was hurting so fucking much, she could barely handle it. All she wanted was to be with Regina and not let her go.

When the doors slid open again, Emma took a deep breath and walked briskly to the meeting room. She quickly wiped away her tears and prayed her eyes weren’t too red. She opened the door and stepped inside. The gathered team looked up at Emma and noticed their worried and fearful glances, some of her closest friends knew what was going on. She saw Ruby ducking her head and Mulan’s face was taut, in determination to keep her emotions under control. Emma walked over to Regina, who was waiting for her at the front of the room.

“How are they?” she asked softly when Emma reached her.

“Not good,” Emma replied and sought Regina’s steady eyes.

Regina nodded. “Shall I?” she asked.

“Please,” Emma nodded.

Regina straightened up and took a step forward. The eyes of the team refocused on her and Regina swallowed thickly.

“As some of you know, Emma went to tell Victoria of our win and our next contender. When she arrived at Victoria’s room, she found that…” Regina’s voice stocked. She cleared her throat, trying to push down that lump. “She found that Victoria had passed away last night.”

Little gasps went through the room, some of the girls started crying. Regina and Emma went about the room to comfort their friends.

“Do her daughters know yet?” Ella asked.

“I just told them,” Emma nodded. “They are still up in our room.”

Ella shook her head. “Those poor girls,” she muttered.

“So, now what?” Lily asked. “Are we going to pull out the competition?”

“No,” Regina replied sharply. “I don’t think she would have wanted that.”

“Agreed,” Aurora said. “We got to keep going for her.”

The door opened and a very devastated-looking Killian entered. His shoulders were slumped and it was clear he had just been crying.

“Killian,” Emma shot towards him and he looked up at her.

He tried to smile but failed miserably. Then he looked up to the rest of the team.

“A couple of days ago, Victoria asked me to take over from her after she was gone,” he started. “It is not going to be easy, but I am honoured to be your coach. You are all amazing and we are not going to give up now. We’ve come so far,” he continued.

“We had no plans of giving up,” Aurora said. “She taught us that.”

He finally managed to smile and straightened his shoulder. “We all feel her loss and we will never forget her,” he said.

“Could we wear a black band tomorrow at the game?” Elsa asked, remembering they had once done that in memory of a fellow skater who had passed away suddenly.

Emma nodded in agreement, she remembered that as well.

“I’ll have to check with the committee, but I don’t think there will be a problem,” Killian replied, already getting some of his fire back. He knew this team had his back.

“I’m sorry to ask this,” Ella started. “But what about Victoria’s body?” she asked.

“It’s being flown back to the UK,” Killian said. “Ana and Ivy are debating who is going with her.”

“Are there any more questions?” Regina asked, wanting to wrap this up for now.

Some shook their heads, they all needed to process. Slowly, the group left the meeting room, until only Emma, Regina and Killian were left.

“How are the girls?” Emma asked.

“A wreck,” Killian said. “Especially Ana. She’s too young for this. Ivy looks too much like her mother.”

Emma chuckled. “I know. So, what’s the plan?” she asked.

“I already arranged a flight back, it’s just waiting to see who will go with her,” Killian said. “The flight leaves tomorrow in the evening. I informed the committee and the hotel staff. The hotel staff is going to arrange a coroner for us. Ivy was already making arrangements for when Victoria arrives home,” Killian filled them in. “And I found this,” he said, handing Emma a white envelope with her name on. “I found several, one to the whole team, one for each of her daughters and one for me,” he said.

“Thank you,” Emma said, staring at the envelope.

“Oh, your room is vacated, the girls left to their own room,” Killian informed them. “Thank you for telling us separately,” he added softly. “We appreciated it.”

“Of course,” Emma nodded. “And if you need to talk or just cry, I’m here,” she offered.

“Thanks,” Killian nodded and left the room.

“Want to go back to our room?” Regina asked.

“Yes, please,” Emma sighed exhaustedly.

Regina wrapped her arm around Emma’s waist and together they walked out of the room.

~~~

Zelena sat alone in her room, Ruby had gone out with a couple of the girls. Ruby had asked if she wanted to join, but Zelena preferred to be alone for a moment. Ruby had understood and told her to call if she needed her. Zelena had promised she would do just that. So now she sat in the armchair, overlooking the Village. People were out and about as the weather was finally getting better. Zelena found it a weird concept — her world had come to a sudden stop, while the rest of the world just went on with their business. She had never experienced it before, but it was a weird thing. Admittedly, she had never been very fond of Victoria, but the woman hadn’t deserved such a lonely fate. Victoria had died alone and far from home. Zelena sighed, even more determined to make better choices from now on. She played with the phone in her hand, trying to find the courage to make a very important and long overdue phone call. Finally, she dialled the number and she waited for it to be picked up.

“Hello?” a very sleepy voice sounded on the other side.

Zelena startled, she had forgotten about the huge time difference.

“Shit, am I waking you up?” she asked.

“What do you think? It’s 05:30 for Christ sake,” the gruff voice replied.

“Shit, I’m sorry, August,” she said, already half a mind to hang up.

“It’s okay,” he replied and she heard the ruffling of the covers. “Is everything alright?” he asked.

“Not really,” Zelena sighed. “Victoria Belfrey just died.”

“What?” he said, suddenly completely awake.

“Yeah, she forgot to tell us she had an aggressive brain tumour,” Zelena filled him in. “She died this morning.”

“Shit,” he murmured. Zelena heard him walking around. She frowned, why didn’t he stay in bed? “How is Emma?” he asked.

“I’m not really sure. She found Victoria,” she told him. “But she’s being strong for the rest of the team, I think. She looked pretty devastated.”

“Bloody hell,” he said. “How are you?”

“Sad, I guess,” she replied. “I’ve never been very fond of her, but she didn’t deserve this,” she added.

“Agreed,” August said. “Are you guys coming back home?” he asked.

“No, we’re going to finish. It’s what she would have wanted,” Zelena said.

“Yeah, fair enough,” he replied.

Zelena bit her lower lip, not sure if she should proceed any further. But she figured he was awake now anyway. She placed her hand on her stomach and took a deep breath.

“There’s something I need to tell you,” she started.

“Okay,” August said, sounding weary.

“Just before I left for the Olympics I discovered something as well,” she said and heard August hum. “I’m pregnant,” she blurted out, anxiously waiting for his reply.

“What?” he said, his voice rising. “Is it mine?” he asked, lowering his voice.

“Yes, it's yours,” Zelena replied irritably, why did everyone ask that?

“Shit,” he breathed. “Are you going to keep it?” he asked.

“Yes,” she said. “I am. But seeing as you are the father, I wanted you to know.”

“Well, thanks,” he said, sounding a bit sarcastic.

“I had hoped we could talk about it,” Zelena said. “Because I do want you in his or her life. If that is what you want.”

Silence followed and patiently, Zelena waited. “I do,” he finally said. “But I went on with my life, Zelena,” he added.

“I did too and I’m not saying we should start something again,” she replied.

“Okay,” he said. “Is it okay if I let this sink in and get back to you? I don’t hate you and I do want to be in the kid’s life. I’m sure we can figure something out.”

“Of course,” Zelena nodded. “We’ll talk when I’m back, okay?” she proposed.

“Good idea,” he agreed. “Thanks for letting me know. Even at this ungodly hour,” he groaned.

Zelena chuckled. “I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay. I’ll call Emma later if that’s okay?” he asked.

“Yeah. We don’t have anything else to do today,” she told him.

“Good. Thank you, Zelena,” he said again.

“You’re welcome. And I hope you can sleep a bit after this,” she said hopefully.

“We’ll see,” he chuckled. “Talk to you soon.”

“Yeah.”

They hung up and Zelena took a breath of relief. Maybe she and August could work this out together. She looked up when the door of the room opened and Ruby walked in.

“Hey,” she greeted her girlfriend.

“Hey,” Ruby smiled. “Everything okay?” she asked, eyeing the phone in Zelena’s hand.

“It will be,” Zelena assured her and stood up to kiss Ruby. “I missed you.”

~~~

Emma walked out of the shower feeling a bit more relaxed after an eventful morning. She was glad Killian had cancelled the scheduled practice for the afternoon as she didn’t think anyone would be up for it. As she walked back into the room, she spotted Regina bent over her laptop.

“What are you doing?” Emma asked as she pulled her comfy clothing out of the closet.

“Drawing up a game plan for tomorrow,” Regina replied. “Oh and Killian just confirmed we are allowed to wear the black band. He said the committee even required a minute of silence,” she filled Emma.

“Oh, good,” Emma nodded and climbed on the bed next to Regina. Quickly, she went over the game plan. “That looks good, babe,” she said.

“Thanks,” Regina said and closed the lid. “It feels weird to do this without her.”

Emma nodded. “I know. I don’t know if we can do this,” she sighed.

Regina looked up at her girlfriend. “We will,” she said. “Because she taught us well.”

Emma chuckled. “That she did. Even if our mind isn’t in the game, we can do it on pure muscle memory.”

Regina chuckled as well. “It’s not going to be easy,” she said.

“Nope,” Emma agreed. “But we’re going to do it anyway.”

Regina stared at her laptop. “We need to tell Henry,” she said softly.

Emma nodded, she hadn’t even thought about that. She needed to call her parents and let them know as well before the news broke in the papers. Now that they were actually achieving something big, the media was keeping close tabs on them. Emma checked her watch and quickly calculated the time back in the UK.

“It’s too early to call,” she sighed and Regina nodded.

“Henry did actually like Victoria,” she told Emma. “I think she secretly knew Henry was yours,” she continued. “Now that I know, I keep noticing how much he looks like you. He has your eyes, your nose. Even some of your manners.”

Emma chuckled. “I know. It was his eyes that told me he was mine. It was like looking in a mirror.”

“Victoria was always nice to him. I never could completely hate the woman, no matter how hard she rode us during practice,” Regina remembered.

“Because she was nice to Henry,” Emma said, looking aside at her girlfriend.

Regina nodded. “She never complained when he joined in the trainings, she even gave him a spot on the team. He always played left wing. He plays left wing in his e-hockey team,” Regina told him.

Emma smiled, her eyes softened. “He really is a son of mine.”

“He is,” Regina nodded.

“But I also see so much of you in him. How strong he is and how smart. You raised him well,” Emma said, seeing the sadness in Regina’s eyes. “He’s as much your son as he is mine.”

Tears sprung in Regina’s eyes. “Thank you,” she whispered.

Emma took her in her arms, holding her close. Regina wrapped her arms around Emma’s waist, resting her head on her shoulder. Emma realised she couldn’t imagine her life without Regina anymore, she wanted to be at Regina’s side for the rest of her life.

“I love you,” Emma whispered.

“I love you too,” Regina replied softly.

Emma closed her eyes, feeling safe in Regina’s arms. With Regina by her side, she felt she could take on the whole world and didn't want to ever let her go again…


	15. The Big Loss

_“The British team enters the ice at last. All of the players, even the ones that are not playing, are wearing a black band in remembrance of their coach, the renowned Victoria Belfrey who passed away last night. The team insisted on playing and both of coach Belfrey’s daughters are playing. The committee has asked for a minute of silence.”_

Emma surveyed the quiet crowd in the stands. Everyone who could was standing. The silence was deafening and beautiful at the same time. The Canadian team stood next to them, also lined up and with bowed heads. Emma thought it was amazing they gave so much respect to Victoria, but thought that if she were to see this, she would laugh herself silly.

_“I’d rather you go and play. Show them who's boss.”_

Emma could hear her say it and a small smile played around her mouth. The gaping hole Victoria had left behind had been palpable in the locker room. Everyone had been quiet as Killian had passed the black bands around. He had tried to give a pep talk but had given up halfway. They all knew this would be one of the hardest games they ever played, mentally and physically. The Canadian team was crushing it, they had flown through the rounds, winning every game. The British team had as well, but Emma felt it had taken them much more effort than the Canadian team. The Canadians already were famous and had won multiple Olympics games. Emma felt they were up against giants, and she wasn’t sure if the team was ready to meet them mentally after the heart-breaking loss. Both Ivy and Ana had insisted they wanted to play, they hadn’t made a decision of who was going home and who was staying. The soft whistle of the referee announced the end of the minute of silence and the music in the stadium was cranked up. Emma snapped out of her trance and skated to her spot. She, Regina, Zelena, Ana, Mulan and Robin were on the ice this first period. Emma was determined to make Victoria proud, no matter what. Regina went up for the power struggle and, tensely, Emma waited for the whistle to sound. Regina lost the power struggle and the Canadian player was away with the puck. Zelena blocked the player and managed to steal the puck. She shot it towards Regina, who shot forward, Emma and Mulan followed her. Regina broke through the defence and made an attempt at the goal. The goalie stopped it with ease and they skated back to their half. The Canadians were back in possession of the puck and they once again tried to break through the defence. Ana stole the puck this time, barely escaping a penalty. She tackled the Canadian player and was off with the puck. Emma didn’t know if it was the compassion of the referee or they really hadn’t seen it, but Ana wasn’t whistled back. Emma recognised the fierceness in the girl and she hoped Ana wouldn’t do any more stupid stunts. She went after the girl, who was storming forwards towards the goal. She dodged the wing player, the defence and went head to head with the goalie. With all the power and anger and grief she had in her, she shot the puck as hard as she could towards the goal. The puck sailed right past the goal and bounced off the boarding. Emma was quick enough to intercept it and passed it off to Mulan, who stood waiting for her. Emma dragged Ana with her back to their half.

“Be careful,” Emma warned her.

“I’ll sort that out for myself,” Ana snapped.

Emma was taken aback by the sharp reply, she didn’t recognise Ana. “I don’t think so, Ana,” Emma said. “You’re not alone in this.”

Ana didn’t reply, but tore herself out of Emma’s grasp and skated away, pissed off. Regina made her way to Emma.

“Is she okay?” she asked.

Emma shrugged. “We need to keep an eye on her.”

Regina nodded and Emma got pulled back into the game. Mulan had lost the puck and the Canadians were advancing to the goal again. Zelena attempted to stop them, but the Canadian player passed the puck before Zelena could take it. The other player slipped through the defence and made a shot. Robin stopped it cleverly and dropped the puck back on the ice. She passed it to Ana, who passed it to Mulan. Mulan sought Emma out and together they advanced onto the goal. But before they could pass the defence, the referee whistled the end of the first period.

Exhausted and drained, the British team retreated to the locker room. No one really said anything and Regina could feel their despair. Regina tried to find words but found she was lacking them. She felt the same despair, the same emptiness. Okay, Victoria hadn’t been present the past few games, but she was still there. Now she was just gone. The door opened and Killian and Merida stepped inside. Killian seemed to be lost for words as well as he looked around the locker room. Merida suddenly stepped forward.

“Ay kun we all miss Victoria,” she started. “But we cannot let us 'eads 'ung down and juss admit defeated. That’s not 'ow she trained us. She wanted fe us ter graft us everyth'n, nah matti 'ow 'ard this opponent is. She wanted us ter bowl fe victory. If she would see you's lot now, she would’ve givun yous such a 'ard time,” she lectured.

A few heads nodded in agreement, the fire was being relit.

Regina stood up. “Merida is right. We can’t give up now. We’ve come so far and I am not prepared to go home just yet.” A few more heads nodded until the entire team was on their feet. “We are going to give our everything for Victoria,” Regina continued.

“For Victoria!” the team echoed.

Killian just looked at them and Regina saw tears shining in his eyes. He caught her glance, took a deep breath, then cleared his throat and stepped forward.

“Thank you, Regina,” he said.

“Anytime,” Regina replied.

Killian pulled his clipboard up and started to explain the tactics. Emma, Regina and Zelena were off the ice for the first half of the second period, he wanted to spare their strength. Ivy, Mal and Ariel went up in their place. Killian hadn’t changed much about their attack and defence plan and soon it was time to go back out there. Emma plopped down next to Regina, her helmet on the ground and her stick between her legs.

“Doesn’t it feel weird to have a stick between your legs?” Ruby teased her, she sat behind her.

Emma flipped her off. “Fuck you,” she said with a smirk.

“I think you’d rather fuck me,” Regina said sulky, making Ruby laugh out loud.

Emma shook her head. “How old are you two again? Idiots.”

“Old enough to fuck you,” Regina whispered in her ear. “And to do very dirty things to you,” she added. Emma’s eyes went big at that and she stared at Regina. “What?” Regina asked innocently.

“We still have a game to play. This is not fair,” Emma groaned.

“It’s not like you can get blue balls,” Regina teased her even further.

Emma sent her a warning look, she wasn’t sure if she could keep her hands to herself for much longer. Regina smirked, she knew exactly what she did to Emma. To be honest, the thought of a naked Emma was riling her up. She stopped her train of thoughts there, Victoria had just died. She could not do this, it wouldn’t be respectful. She turned her attention back to the game, it had just started. Mal had gone up for the power struggle and won.

“Babe?” Emma asked, pulling her attention away from the game. “Are you okay?” she asked, she had expected more teasing from Regina.

“Yeah,” Regina reassured her. “I… I’ll explain later,” she said.

“Okay,” Emma nodded, still looking concerned.

The game went on and Regina could see the change in the team. They were stronger and better at keeping the puck in their possession. Mal even broke through the defence and tried to make a goal, but failed. Yet applause and cheering went up, and Regina saw her smile. Canada made a few attempts as well but didn’t manage to score. Regina didn’t know if they were holding back or if they were actually matching in strength.

“Looks like the Canadians have underestimated us,” Emma said next to her, she had seen it too.

“You think?” Regina asked. “You don’t think they are holding back?”

Emma shook her head. “No, I don’t think so. Now that wouldn’t be respectful.”

“Yeah, true,” Regina agreed.

The Canadians were back in possession and they made another attempt at breaking through the defence. Ivy stepped in and made a nasty tackle to get the puck. The referee whistled and Ivy got sent to the timeout box. Killian tried to object, but he knew it was justified. The team had to work hard now that they were a man down and the Canadians managed to get through the defence. The Canadian player fooled Robin and scored their first point. Emma bowed her head, she was not sure if they would be able to get back from this. Soon after Ivy was released, the referee whistled the end of the second period. The team retreated back to the locker room and once again no one said anything until Ivy spoke up.

“I’m sorry,” she said. “I… I don’t know what happened. I just saw red and…”

“Ivy, stop,” Lily said. “Yes, it was a stupid move, but it could have happened to any of us.”

“I doubt that,” Ivy sighed. “All I could see was mom’s disappointed face.”

Ana stood up and hugged her sister. No words were needed, they understood each other. The rest of the team could only watch them and feel sympathetic towards the sisters.

“Do you think we can pull up to a draw?” Ella asked Regina.

Regina frowned. “The Canadians are very strong and I haven’t spotted a flaw in their defence,” she mused.

“That’s because there isn’t one.” Killian had silently entered the locker room and stepped forward. “The Canadians are an oiled machine and it’s already admirable you guys have managed to keep them at bay. At any other day, we may have been even stronger, but today is not our day. Next time we will get them,” Killian told them.

“So you suggest admitting defeat?” Lily asked surprised.

“Hell no,” Killian said. “We’re still going to make it hard for them. What I’m trying to say is, don’t take it too hard if we lose this one. We still managed to keep them out of our net for an entire period. Next time, when we all are saner, we will beat their arse.”

An agreeing murmur went up and Killian started to go over the tactics one more time. Emma, Regina and Zelena were back on the ice, together with Mulan, Ella and Robin. Soon it was time to go back on the ice. Emma took up her spot and glanced aside at Regina.

“Let’s make it as hard as possible,” Regina said and Emma nodded.

Regina went up for the power struggle and won. She passed the puck to Mulan, who shot forward. She dodged the wing player but ran into a block with the defence player. She got pushed against the boarding, but she managed to pass the puck to Regina, who skated away with it immediately. Regina darted around the defence player and skated behind the goal. She had the plan to drop the puck around the corner, but the goalie was waiting for her and stopped the puck with a grin. Regina shrugged and skated back.

“I think they did their homework,” Emma chuckled.

“I think so too,” Regina grinned. “Only six more minutes to go,” she added.

“We can do this.”

The Canadians stormed their defence again, but Ella stopped them with an on the edge tackle. The referee let it go and Ella passed the puck to Emma, who shot forward. She felt like stretching her legs and skated as hard as she could towards the goal. A nasty tackle had her sprawling on the floor and the Canadian player who tackled her was sent to the time out. Emma took the rebound, but no goal came out of it. Emma glanced at the clock, less than a minute to go. They could do this. The Canadians undertook one more attempt. They broke through the defence and Robin faced off with the strong centre player. She just about managed to stop the goal and when she wanted to drop the puck on the ice, the referee whistled the end of the game.  
Relieved and exhausted, they lined up to shake hands with the winning team before they did their victory round. The British team retreated to the locker room and sat down. The atmosphere wasn’t completely down, they had done what they could.

“I had almost forgotten what it felt like to lose,” Lily chuckled.

A few others chuckled as well. “I think we did great,” Ella said. “They are really wickedly strong and they are like on top of the leader board.”

“Indeed,” Regina said. “We can be proud of what we did today. I think Victoria would be too.”

“Stop it,” Ivy suddenly burst. “We don’t know what she would think of this, because she is dead!” she spat. “She’s dead and she’s never coming back.”

Her voice broke at the last sentence and Ana was just in time to catch her before she collapsed. The grief overwhelmed Ivy and she started to cry. Ana quickly engulfed her in a hug and lead her away from the team.

“Shit,” Emma sighed. “This is harder than I thought.”

Regina nodded and sat down next to her. “She needs to go through this,” she said.

Emma nodded and silently, she began to take off her gear. The rest followed her and soon a few slipped under the shower. Emma glanced at the hallway where Ana and Ivy escaped to.

“I’m going to check up on them,” she said and stood up. She walked into the hallway that led to the ice and she found the sisters sitting just inside the hallway. They sat next to each other, staring at the stadium that slowly emptied. Emma sat down next to Ivy and the younger girl looked up, eyes still red from the crying. “You okay?” Emma asked.

Ivy nodded. “I’m sorry,” she said.

“Don’t be,” Emma said. “You were right. We have no idea how your mother would feel about our loss and we will never know.”

Silence fell between them, Ivy pulled up her knees to her chest.

“I miss her so much,” she finally said. “But funny enough, not when I’m playing. Then it feels like she’s right there,” she said, motioning towards the dugout.

“That’s good, right?” Ana said. “I feel that too.”

“Yeah, until I step off the ice and I realise she’s not there,” Ivy said. “I know she wasn’t a perfect mother, but she was my mother.”

Tears started streaming down her face again and Emma wrapped an arm around Ivy. She saw Ana was struggling too, so she stood up and sat in between them. Both girls leant against her and they cried silently. Emma took a deep breath, it wouldn’t help the girls if she started bawling as well.

“I’m not gonna lie,” Emma started. “This pain you’re feeling? It will be there for a while and it will never really go away. But it will become bearable,” she told them.

“Was that how you felt about Henry?” Ivy asked as she wiped away her tears.

“Yes,” Emma nodded. “On top of the guilt I carried with me.”

“Guilt?” Ivy asked with a frown.

“Yeah, about giving him up,” Emma clarified. “I should have gone against your mother, but she manipulated me and then the sport, skating, was my life. I couldn’t handle a kid. So I did what I thought was right. But I regretted it the moment they took him away.”

“I’m sorry,” Ivy offered.

“I’m sorry too,” Emma said and looked at the girls. “How about we ditch this place and go in search for a decent burger?” she proposed.

Ana chuckled and nodded. Ivy agreed as well and with the three of them, they walked back to the now empty locker room…

~~~

Aurora sat contemplating in the armchair in their hotel room. Mulan was in the shower and it gave Aurora some time to think. She had had a marvellous time here with Mulan and her parents had completely welcomed her to the family. She was even invited to join Mulan the next time she visited her parents. It had made Aurora think of her own family, they wouldn’t be so inviting. Yet she couldn’t imagine her life without Mulan anymore. She needed, no wanted, to tell them. And if they disowned her, it would not be her problem or loss. She already had the world, she didn’t need her parents if they didn’t accept her as she was.

“Where' your head at?” she suddenly heard Mulan ask, the Chinese girl was looking at her with a smile.

“Sorry,” Aurora smiled. “I was just thinking,” she said.

“About what?” Mulan asked as she dried her hair with the towel.

“About us, my parents. I want to tell them,” Aurora said with a frown.

Mulan stopped drying her hair and looked incredulously at Aurora. “Are you sure?” she asked.

Aurora nodded. “I am. Because I can’t see my future without you and if my parents can’t accept that, it’s their loss.”

Mulan looked astonished and proud of her girlfriend. Aurora had come such a long way and she had grown so much stronger after Philip. “If that is what you want, I’ll support you,” she told her.

“Thank you,” Aurora smiled. “Life is too short to lie about this sort of things.”

“That is true,” Mulan agreed and pulled on some clothes. “Mom and dad asked us to join them for dinner tonight.”

“Cool, of course,” Aurora smiled. “How weird will it be to be back home after this?” she wondered.

“Very,” Mulan chuckled. “Normal life is waiting for us.”

“Normal life is boring,” Aurora said, wrinkling her nose.

Mulan laughed and pulled her in her arms. “Luckily you are not,” she said before she kissed Aurora.

“Sweet talker,” Aurora replied but kissed Mulan nonetheless.

“But you love me for it,” Mulan chuckled.

“That I do,” Aurora winked and stood up, pulling Mulan up from the bed. “Come,” she said.

“Where?” Mulan asked.

“I feel like taking a walk,” Aurora said and lead Mulan out of the room. The door fell closed behind them.

~~~

Ivy and Ana left the restaurant where they had eaten a burger with Emma and Regina. The cold bit into their face and they walked briskly back to the hotel.

“They really are like a married couple,” Ana chuckled.

“Yeah, they are,” Ivy agreed. “Sis, we need to make a decision. The plane leaves in four hours,” she said seriously.

“I know,” Ana sighed. “I…”

“I think you should stay here,” Ivy said, interrupting Ana.

“What? Why?” Ana exclaimed, she stopped walking to look at her sister.

Ivy stopped walking as well and turned to face her sister. “Because I am the oldest now. The head of the family. I need to take care of us now,” Ivy explained.

“You do know I’m an adult, right?” Ana asked. “We’re doing this together,” she said.

Ivy shook her head. “At least one of us has to stay here and finish what we started. It’s what mom would have wanted,” she said.

“Weren’t you the one to tell us we won’t ever know what she wanted, because she’s dead?” Ana reminded her sharply.

Ivy ducked her head and took a deep breath. “I know, but I really think that’s what she wanted.”

“I think what she really wanted was for us both to finish what we started,” Ana replied.

“Yeah, but that’s not going to happen. Someone needs to take care of things back at home,” Ivy sighed.

“I know,” Ana said. “Are you sure?” she asked.

“Yes,” Ivy replied. “Because I can’t handle the pain I feel when I step off the ice just yet,” she admitted, her voice breaking.

Ana wrapped her arms around Ivy. “Okay,” she said. “But promise me not to give up on skating,” she asked.

“I promise,” Ivy nodded. “Now, let’s get back to the hotel. I need to pack.”

“I’ll help you,” Ana smiled and together they walked into the hotel. “Hey, can we not send Killian with her?” she suddenly quipped as they walked through the doors.

“No, we cannot,” Ivy chuckled.

“Nah, why not?” Ana complained. “Then why did we adopt him as a brother if we can’t have him do some of the crappy jobs?”

Ivy laughed out loud as she stepped into the elevator. “I’m sure there will be lots of crappy jobs we can have him do when we get home.”

“Good,” Ana grinned.

The elevator doors closed and took them up to their room.

~~~

Emma was at one of her most favourite places in the world, the ice rink. She had told Regina she needed some time to think and process what had happened the past couple of days. Regina had understood and now Emma was skating rounds. It always helped to clear her mind.  
August had called her last night, he told her he had heard from Zelena. After that, she and Regina had called Henry to tell him. He had been heartbroken and Emma had felt so helpless watching her boy cry and not being able to hold him. Regina was having a hard time with it as well, she had cried after the call. Regina had called Amanda, Henry’s caregiver, to fill her in on what happened. She had promised to look after Henry. Emma had called her mom and told her Victoria had died. Mary Margaret had felt sorry but wasn’t exactly grieving. Emma could understand that, Victoria had dragged her and her family through hell. Yet Emma couldn’t shake the feeling of a great loss and once again she was glad she and Victoria had talked at last.  
Gasping for air, Emma stopped skating. Her mind hadn’t exactly cleared but she needed a break. She plopped down on the bench and grabbed the water bottle she had brought. Victoria’s letter lay next to her. She grabbed it and stared at it. Victoria had written her a letter and Emma wasn’t sure she wanted to read it. It would make it so official. After a moment's pause, she ripped open the envelop and pulled out the letter.

_Dear Emma,_

_At the moment of writing this letter, I feel myself getting weaker. My mind keeps blurring, but one thing keeps coming back. You. I have treated you so bad and I know we have talked about it and you said you were on the way to forgive me, but I want to say sorry again. I regret forcing you to give up Henry and I am so glad you found him again. I still remember seeing him for the first time when Regina didn’t have a sitter and I knew immediately he was yours. I kept quiet and then you showed up at practice, already knowing both Regina and Henry. I was tempted to tell you so many times, but every time I chickened out. I’m glad you finally know the truth now and I wish you all the happiness in the world._

_I am sorry it has to be this way, but I’m done living now. I’m done fighting against something I can’t possibly win. Please take care of my girls and keep an eye on Killian. I know he will act all tough and strong, but he is a gentle soul._

_Thank you for everything, Emma, and once again I’m sorry._

_Victoria_

_Ps: I wish you and Regina and Henry all the best in the world. You three make a perfect family_

With tears in her eyes, Emma folded the letter close again. Emma had thought she would be mad when Victoria told her she knew Henry was hers, but she found she just couldn’t be. Not anymore. Emma put the letter back in the envelope and made her way back to the locker room to remove her skates and go back to Regina.  
The cold hit her hard and she watched a group of cheerful fans walk into the ice rink. There probably was a skating event, Emma had seen there was one almost every day. She made her way back to the hotel and walked into her room. She found Regina sitting at the desk, drafting up their next game plan. Emma had seen they would face Finland. Regina looked up from her work with a smile.

“Hey, there you are,” she said and kissed Emma. “Are you okay?” she asked when she saw Emma’s stormy eyes.

“She knew,” she said as she dropped the envelope on the desk.

“Knew what?” Regina asked, eyeing the envelope.

“That Henry was mine,” Emma sighed. “She knew from the beginning.”

“Shit,” Regina breathed. “Are you mad?” she asked.

Emma shook her head. “Strangely enough, not. It wouldn’t help. She thought we would make a perfect family, by the way,” she added.

Regina chuckled. “Of course she did. That woman saw everything.”

Emma nodded. “She did.” She stood up and walked to the window to look outside. “I don’t think I will ever forget her. The good and the bad side of her.”

Regina nodded and came standing behind her, wrapping her arms around Emma’s waist. “I know.”

Emma leant into Regina’s embrace, turning her face so she could kiss Regina. “At least she lead me to you,” she whispered.

“That she did,” Regina agreed and kissed Emma even deeper.

Emma turned around in her arms and wrapped her arms around the back of Regina’s head. Her fingers became entangled in dark locks as she pushed Regina to the bed. Regina sprawled on the bed beneath her and Emma sat up to look at her.

“You are so beautiful,” she whispered.

“You don’t look so bad yourself,” Regina winked.

Emma chuckled and laid down next to Regina, kissing her again. Both were content to just lay there, cuddling and kissing.

~~~

Ruby walked into the restaurant and spotted Belle in the back. She quickly grabbed a cup of coffee and tea and walked over to the goalie. She placed the tea in front of Belle and sat across from her. Belle had been hiding in her book, but she looked up when Ruby had given her a fresh tea.

“Thank you,” she smiled.

“You’re welcome,” Ruby said and took in the sad look on Belle’s face. “How are you?” she asked.

Belle shrugged. “Not sure,” she said. “I never really had a bond with Victoria, but I still feel sad about her death.”

Ruby nodded. “I feel the same. It’s just weird,” she said.

“Yeah,” Belle sighed and closed her book. “It gives this whole adventure a bitter aftertaste.”

“It does,” Ruby agreed. “But it’s an adventure nonetheless.”

Belle chuckled and nodded. “You can say that again. But I would’ve gladly skipped today,” she said.

“Me too. But it keeps us humble if we lose every now and again, don’t you think?” she mused.

“Yeah,” Bella smiled. “How are you?” she asked.

“Same as you, I think,” Ruby shrugged. “I didn’t know Victoria very well after all.”

“I think neither of us really did,” Belle thought out loud. “Except for Emma, perhaps. How is she?” she asked.

Ruby shrugged. “Not sure, really. I haven’t really talked to her. I know she and Victoria had a difficult past, so I can imagine she’s feeling torn.”

Belle nodded and she seemed to be lost in thoughts for a moment. “I’ve never really forgotten you,” she finally said, not daring to look up. “I know you’re in a relationship with Zelena, but I needed to tell you,” she added.

Ruby sighed and reached out to her. Belle hesitated, but eventually placed her hand in Ruby’s hand.

“I haven’t forgotten about you either,” she admitted. “I know I said I didn’t like you in that way, but I really liked that night out with you.”

“But?” Belle asked, sensing it coming a mile away.

“No buts,” Ruby smiled.

“What about Zelena?” Bella asked surprised.

“Zelena and I are the same,” Ruby explained. “We are both restless souls. So we decided to try to have an open relationship.”

“So, she’s okay if we would hook up?” she asked.

Ruby nodded. “As long as I’m honest about it.”

Belle took a moment to process this new information. Ruby gave her space, she knew that what she had with Zelena wasn’t a regular thing. Finally, Belle looked up.

“So you would be open to… you know…” her voice trailed off.

“Hooking up?” Ruby chuckled. “Definitely.”

A smile broke through on Belle’s face and she leant forward to place a chastise kiss on Ruby’s lips. “Good,” she said.

~~~

The team had gathered around to say goodbye to Victoria, all of them in full gear and sticks, minus the skates. The coroner's car stood waiting at the entrance of the hotel and they were waiting for Emma, Regina, Zelena, Killian, Ivy and Ana to carry the casket out of the hotel. The hotel had provided them with a separate room where the casket had been placed, so people could say goodbye. It hadn’t happened a lot during the Olympics that someone died, but the hotel staff had been prepared. They had handled it professionally and with taste. The press had kept their distance out of respect to them. Only a handful were present now to make a report of the departure. Killian had allowed them to be there, as long as they kept a respectful distance. After all, Victoria was famous and people had the right to know what happened.  
Emma, Regina, Zelena, Ivy, Ana and Killian walked out of the hotel, carrying the casket on their shoulders. The team started to beat a slow rhythm with their sticks on the ground. The casket was lowered and pushed into the car. Ivy said goodbye to her sister with a hug and waved the others.

“Have a safe trip,” Emma said to her. “Let us know when you land.”

“I will,” Ivy promised.

She waved one last time and stepped into the car. Under the same beat of the sticks, the car drove off. Emma watched the car go and she sighed. She was really gone now. The rest of the team walked back into the hotel when the car had vanished. Regina came standing next to Emma.

“You coming inside?” she asked.

Emma grabbed Regina’s hand and nodded. “Yes.”

Together they walked back inside, the doors closed behind them.

~~~

In the meantime, back in the UK, Henry watched as the airport people took away his wheelchair to place it in the plane. He looked aside at Amanda with a huge smile.

“They won’t know what hit them,” he smirked.

“Nope,” Amanda smirked as well, their plan was going smoothly…


	16. Going Uphill

The next afternoon, the British team was getting ready for their very last game at the Olympics. Excitement went through the room and Regina was glad the team had managed to get out of the sad mood they had been in. It had been justified of course, after losing to Canada and after Victoria’s death. During the meeting before the game, they all had decided they needed to win this medal for Victoria and in order to do that, they needed to stop moping around.

Regina sat next to Emma, who looked excited for the last game.

“It’s weird,” she mused. “I love being here, but I can’t wait to be home again with Henry,” she said.  
“I feel the same,” Regina agreed.

Over the course of their stay, they had video chatted with Henry but it wasn’t the same. He had been so excited when they had told him Emma would move in. When he had asked if they had enough space, Regina had told him Zelena would move out to go live with Ruby. Henry had been sad to see his aunt go, but he had understood.

“Can’t wait to get to cuddle him again,” Emma smiled.

Regina smiled as well. “Me too.”

The door opened and Killian and Merida entered the locker room. Killian was looking excited for the first time after Victoria died and Regina thought he would definitely grow into his role as a coach.

“Last game, ladies,” he started. “Let’s go out with a bang, okay?” he asked and everyone cheered. “Alright. We’re up against Finland and they are pretty strong. So we have to keep our heads in the game and not get distracted,” he continued. Behind him, the door opened again and an Olympic official entered the room. He whispered something in Killian’s ear and Killian frowned. “What? Yeah, okay.” The official disappeared again and Killian looked up to Regina and Emma. “There’s someone here to see you,” he said, he didn’t sound overly enthusiastic.

Regina frowned and glanced at Emma, who was also looking surprised. The door opened again and Henry came riding in with a big smile, Amanda followed him with a matching smile.

“Hi everyone,” Henry smirked.

Both Regina and Emma jumped up to go over to him. Regina reached him first and hugged him tightly.

“What are you doing here?” she asked, surprised.

“Watching you guys play of course,” Henry smirked. “And I missed you,” he added in a softer tone.

Emma hugged him now tightly. “We missed you too,” she said.

“So, surprise! It looks like we succeeded,” he said, looking at the surprised faces all around him.

The rest of the team came over to say hi as well until Killian cut an end to it. He ushered Henry and Amanda out, telling them the team needed to focus. Regina stopped Amanda before she left.

“Is he really up for this?” she asked in concerned, the quiet and very sick image of her son still fresh in her mind.

“Yes,” Amanda nodded. “He’s grown so much stronger.”

“Good, okay,” Regina nodded. “We’ll talk later.”

“Okay,” Amanda said. “Good luck.”

“Thanks.”

Amanda left the room and Regina returned to her spot next to Emma.

“Careful what you wish for,” Emma grinned and Regina chuckled.

“You can say that again,” she replied.

Killian pulled their attention, he was about to explain the tactics and the setup. Both Regina and Emma were on the ice, along with Zelena, Mulan, Ana and Ruby. After his talk, Killian left the room. Merida kept hanging around. Emma saw her standing there, looking sad. Emma stood up and walked over to her.

“Hey, are you okay?” she asked softly.

Merida shrugged. “I had hoped Whale would give me the go-ahead to play at least this last game,” she told Emma. “I’ve been doing really good, resting and walking on crutches.”

Dr Whale had accompanied them all through the Olympics, just like Anna. Emma had been glad they had come along and she had seen both of them regularly.

“But he didn’t?” Emma guessed.

Merida shook her head. “He thought it would be unwise to force it. And I know he is right, but…” her voice trailed off, she was barely able to keep the tears at bay.

“But it still sucks,” Emma understood. “I’m sorry.”

Merida looked up at Emma. “It’s not your fault,” she said. “Go knock 'em dead.”

“I will,” Emma smiled and Merida slipped out of the locker room.

Emma was just about to sit down again when it was time to go to the ice. Finland was presented first and it was obvious they were out for blood. Their faces were severe and Emma realised this would be a true battle. She felt the atmosphere turn within the team, from anxious to determined. Regina had noticed it too and she looked aside at Emma.

“This is going to be a challenge,” she said.

Emma nodded. “It is, but we’re ready.”

Finally, they were being called to the ice. Regina went first and she was greeted with loud cheering. Emma smiled, Regina was enjoying this. She watched Regina wave at the crowd and blow a kiss towards the handicapped spots. Soon Emma was up as well and she was greeted with loud cheering. The rest of the team followed suit and after the official announcements were done, the game started. Emma skated to her spot and watched as Regina went up for the power struggle. She lost the puck and the Finnish player stormed forwards. Zelena and Ana went after the player, but she was too fast. Ruby barely stopped the puck and the player returned to her half. Emma glanced at Zelena, who looked a bit worried.

“You okay?” Emma asked.

“Yeah,” Zelena nodded. “We really need to close our ranks,” she said.

Emma nodded as Ruby dropped the puck on the ice. Regina skated towards her and Ruby shot the puck behind the goal where Regina picked it up and was off with the puck. Emma followed her together with Mulan. Regina ran into a block and passed the puck to Emma. Emma ran into a block as well and passed it back to Zelena. Zelena skated forward, Mulan following behind. Zelena managed to break through the defence and Mulan took over the puck. Regina had escaped the block as well and Mulan passed her the puck just before she reached the goalie. Regina used the confusion and scored the first point. Under loud cheering they returned to their half, waving to the fans.

“That was not how I wanted to do it,” Regina groaned.

“Looks like we need to improvise a lot,” Emma agreed.

The Finnish players were back in possession and they tried to break through the defence. The player ran into a block set up by Zelena and Emma, but they didn’t manage to get the puck. They passed it on, but this player ran into a block as well. A third player picked up the puck and managed to slip through. Ruby tried to stop the puck but failed. The Finnish scored their first point. Ruby immediately passed the puck to Zelena, there was only half a minute left. Zelena was determined to score another point, she didn’t want to go to the break with a draw. She stormed forward, Mulan and Regina followed her. Emma hung back in case they all ran into a block. Zelena managed to get in front of the goalie but didn’t score. The goalie wanted to pass the puck to one of her players, but Regina intercepted the puck. She skated around the goal, getting chased by three Finnish players. She managed to put the puck in the goal around the corner before she got pushed against the boarding hard by two Finnish players. Regina fell to the ground and stayed there for a minute. She saw stars and her back hurt like hell. Emma came rushing towards her.

“Are you okay?” she asked concerned.

“Yeah,” Regina nodded and stood up. “The air got knocked out of me,” she said, not telling how much her back was hurting.

But when Emma wrapped her arm around her back, Regina could no longer hide the pain as she yelped.

“What?” Emma asked alarmed.

“My back,” Regina groaned.

She hadn’t heard the referee whistle the end of the period, but she saw the field was emptying out. Emma guided her to the locker room.

“Let’s get you to Whale,” Emma said.

Whale was already waiting for them when they entered the locker room. Emma took over Regina’s helmet and stick before Whale took her with him. He guided Regina to the separate room and Regina sat down on the massage table.

“Can you get out of your gear?” he asked. Regina nodded and with a lot of trouble, she stripped out of her jersey and pads. Whale came standing behind her and Regina hissed when he touched her back. “How much does it hurt?” he asked worriedly.

“Like a seven,” Regina groaned.

“Okay.”

He continued examining her and thought for a moment.

“How bad is it?” Regina asked.

“I think you bruised a couple of vertebrae,” he replied. “But I can tape it up if you want to keep playing?” he asked.

“I do,” Regina nodded.

Whale nodded and set to work. He taped up Regina’s back and Regina breathed out in relief. It already felt better.

“You do need to be careful now,” he warned her as she got dressed again. “No more tackling or getting slammed to the boarding,” he continued.

Regina chuckled as she hopped off the table. “I can’t promise anything,” she said.

“I know,” he said. “If it starts to hurt more, let me know.”

“I will,” Regina said. “Thank you.”

Whale nodded and Regina made her way back to the locker room. Killian was already in, he was explaining the next course of action and looked up when Regina entered.

“How is your back?” he asked, concerned.

“All good,” she told him. “Whale taped it up.”

“Okay,” he nodded. “You're benched for this period,” he told her.

Regina nodded having expected as much. Emma did have to play and Regina frowned, she looked different.

“Hey, I’m okay,” Regina said reassuringly.

Emma looked up at her smiling. “I know,” she said, but her leg kept bouncing up and down.

“What’s wrong?” Regina asked.

Emma immediately stopped bouncing her knee, looking guilty. “Nothing,” she said.

Regina wanted to reply, but they needed to get back to the ice. Regina made her way to the dugout and sat down, eyeing Emma suspiciously. Something was up with her and Regina wanted to know what. Aurora was replacing Regina and went up for the power struggle. She won and passed the puck to Emma. Emma was off with the puck but ran into a block. She tried to pass the puck to Dorothy, but it was intercepted. Emma swore and started to chase the player. The Finnish player dodged the defence, fooled Ruby and scored their second point.  
Ruby immediately passed it to Dorothy, who passed it to Aurora. Aurora shot forward but ran into a block. Emma was behind her and picked up the puck. She slipped through the defence, but the goalie stopped her shot with a grin. Emma grimaced and skated back. She skated past the handicapped spot and Henry waved at her. Emma winked at him, she was glad he was here.  
The Finnish once again attacked them, but they didn’t manage to break through. They played a cat-and-mouse game until the end of the second period, neither of the teams scored.

Emma plopped down on the bench next to Regina.

“How is your back?” Emma asked as Regina handed her a bottle of water.

“Better,” Regina said.

“Good,” Emma breathed, taking big gulps of water. “They are like a brick wall.”

“Yeah,” Regina nodded. “But they do have a few soft spots.”

“Thank god,” Emma nodded. “Oh, I passed Henry. He looked like he’s having the time of his life.”

Regina smiled, she had seen it too. “Yeah, he really does.”

The door opened and Killian and Merida entered. Merida looked a bit brighter than before and she winked cheekily at Emma. Emma smirked back, but quickly pulled a straight face when she felt Regina watching her. Regina kept eyeing her as Killian started to explain the tactics. Emma tried to ignore her as best as she could but felt Regina’s eyes burning in her skull. Killian benched Emma and Zelena for the last period. Regina was up with Mulan, Ella, Ana, Lily and Ruby. Regina assured Killian her back was fine, she had rested it enough during the second period. Killian agreed and he left the locker room. Regina turned to face Emma, curiosity was clear on her face.

“What is up with you?” she asked.

“Nothing,” Emma said again. “Really.”

Regina eyed her suspiciously and Emma was glad they were called back to the ice. She fled Regina’s examining eyes and skated over to the dugout. She watched as Regina went up for the power struggle and cheered when she won. Regina passed the puck to Mulan, who slithered through the defence. The goalie stopped her attempt, however, and bummed, Emma sat down.  
The Finnish players attacked them hard again, but Ana managed to tackle the player and skate off with the puck. The Finnish player got up and the referee let go of the tackle. Ana passed the puck to Lily, who skated forward. She ran into a block but passed the puck to Ella. Ella tried to push through but failed. The puck got stolen again and the Finnish tried to break through the defence. They succeeded, but Ruby stopped the puck in time. She passed it to Regina, who sprinted back towards the Finnish goal. Ella and Ana assisted her by blocking the defence and Regina slipped through. She fooled the goalie and scored. Loud cheering went up and Regina felt positive they could do this. There were only two minutes left on the clock. The Finnish tried to retaliate, but didn’t manage to score. The British team fought very hard to keep them out of their goal and when the referee finally whistled the end of the game, euphoria went through the team.  
Emma jumped out of the dugout and joined her team. They all jumped up and down celebrating. Emma wrestled her way to Regina and hugged her as soon as she found her.

“There you are,” Regina beamed when she faced Emma. “I can’t believe we actually won fucking bronze!” she exclaimed.

“I know!” Emma beamed as well. “You were amazing.”

“So were you,” Regina smiled and kissed Emma.

Emma looked at her, realising it was now or never. Nerves were flying through her body as she took Regina’s hands in hers, Regina looked at her with a frown.

“Regina, there is something I want to ask you,” Emma started.

Around them, the team went quiet. They knew what Emma had been planning and they formed a circle around them. The stadium went quiet, they saw something was about to happen. Emma went down on one knee and looked up at Regina.

“Emma, what are you doing?” Regina asked, knowing very well where this was going.

The circle suddenly opened and Henry came riding towards them, beaming. Emma looked aside at him and he handed her a little box. Emma took it from him and looked back up at Regina.

“When we met, you hated my guts and I had no idea what I did wrong. But at some point, you trusted me with your heart and then I went and made a horrible mistake. I’m so glad you found it in your heart to forgive me because I can’t imagine my life without you. Regina Mills, will you be my wife?” Emma asked as she opened the little box.

In it lay a simple silver ring with a diamond shaped in the form of a snowflake. Regina gasped, eyes huge with surprise looking at Emma. Then a smile broke on her face as she accepted the ring.

“Yes,” she breathed. “A thousand times yes.”

Emma rose to her feet and slipped the ring around her finger. Then she took Regina in her arms and kissed her deeply. All around them people started to applaud, even the Finnish team joined in. They broke the kiss and Regina hugged Emma tightly. Then her eye fell on the smirking Henry.

“Is that why you came here?” she asked him and he nodded. Regina looked up at Emma. “You knew he was coming?” she asked.

“Not right away,” Emma said. “He texted me last night before he boarded the plane to tell me he would bring the ring, just in case.”

“You little devil,” Regina smirked and let go of Emma to hug Henry. “Are you okay with this?” she asked him suddenly serious.

“Of course,” Henry smirked. “Would I have brought the ring if I wasn’t?” he said wisely.

Regina chuckled and stood up. Emma grabbed her hand and Regina just couldn’t stop smiling as they finally left the ice.

~~~

“Holy shit, that was romantic,” Ruby smiled as she and Zelena made their way back to the hotel.

“It certainly was,” Zelena smiled. “I knew Emma had been planning this for a long time. She even dragged me along to find the perfect ring.”

“Aww, that is really cute,” Ruby said. “Weird question maybe, but have you ever thought about it?” she asked suddenly.

“About marrying?” Zelena asked and Ruby nodded. “Of course, but I don’t see how it would work.”

Ruby shook her head. “No, me neither. Think it would be more like a promise or something,” she said.

Zelena smiled. “I like the sound of that,” she said. “A promise.” Suddenly she stopped walking and Ruby turned around surprised. “Wait. Are you asking me?” she asked.

Ruby shrugged. “I… I don’t know. Would you want me too?” she asked.

Zelena stepped closer and grabbed Ruby’s hand. “I don’t know,” she confessed. “As I said, I don’t know how it would work as we are far from traditional.”

“But we promised to return to each other after our adventures,” Ruby said. “And we are going to raise a baby,” she smiled.

Zelena nodded and looked up at Ruby. “I never thought I would find someone like-minded,” she admitted.

“Me neither,” Ruby said and kissed her deeply. “I love you,” she said.

“I love you, too,” Zelena replied. “Let’s go inside, I’m freezing my arse off,” she then said.

Ruby chuckled and nodded. She held Zelena’s hand as they walked back to the hotel. Soon they stepped into the warm lobby and made their way to the elevator.

“How crazy is it that we won fucking bronze?” Ruby said as they stepped into the elevator, looking down at the medal hanging around her neck.

They had gotten the medal immediately after they finished the game. It had been an amazing feeling getting it hung around their necks. Ruby still felt the euphoria rush through her veins.

“Very crazy,” Zelena smiled, looking at her own medal. “I don’t think we will ever experience this again.”

“You don’t know that,” Ruby said. “Maybe we’ll be back in four years.”

“That would be amazing,” Zelena agreed.

They stepped out of the elevator when it reached their floor and walked to their room. Zelena plopped down on the bed, setting the medal on her nightstand. Ruby ducked into the bathroom quickly for a pee break and stepped out a few minutes later.

“I ran into Belle yesterday, by the way,” she said as she sat down in the armchair across from Zelena.

“Oh?” Zelena asked.

“Yeah, she told me she couldn’t get me out of her head,” Ruby told her, looking up at Zelena.

She had expected to see jealousy on Zelena’s face, but there wasn’t any. Ruby let out a breath of relief.

“I didn’t know there was something between the two of you,” Zelena said, looking up at Ruby.

“There isn’t really,” Ruby admitted. “We danced one night and kissed, but it didn’t go any further.”

“But she wants more?” Zelena guessed and Ruby nodded.

“She told me she didn’t act on it because we are together, but I explained what’s going on between us. I don’t think she really understands, but she agreed on going for a drink later,” Ruby said. “Is that okay with you?” she asked, just to be sure.

Zelena smiled softly and cupped Ruby’s face. “Of course it is,” she said. “That was our agreement.”

Ruby nodded and the relief really left her body now. “It was. Just wanted to check in,” she said.

“Thank you,” Zelena said and kissed Ruby. “Let me know how it goes?” she asked as she stood up.

“I will,” Ruby promised her. “I won’t dive into bed with her immediately,” she chuckled.

“If that happens, go for it,” Zelena said. “I think she would be an interesting fuck.”

Ruby laughed at that and shook her head. “How did I get so lucky to get you?” she asked out loud.

Zelena shrugged. “You just did,” she said. “Join me in the shower?” she asked cheekily.

“With pleasure,” Ruby smirked and jumped up to follow Zelena into the shower.

~~~

Aurora and Mulan stood at the edge of the Village, waving off Mulan’s family. Aurora had her arm wrapped around Mulan’s waist, as Mulan’s arm rested around Aurora’s shoulders.

“I’m going to miss them,” Aurora sighed.

“Me too,” Mulan nodded. “But we will visit them soon.”

Aurora nodded. “I like that.”

They turned around and walked back to their hotel. “I’m so glad my parents liked you,” Mulan said.

“I’m glad they liked me too,” Aurora chuckled. “I can’t promise my parents will like you, though,” she said, suddenly serious.

“I know,” Mulan said. “But that is their problem, right?” she asked.

Aurora nodded furiously. “Definitely. I really don’t care anymore. It’s time I chose my happiness.”

Mulan looked at her in wonder. When she had met Aurora for the first time she had been such a shy little bird and over the span of a year, she had transformed into an independent and strong woman. Mulan was so glad to have been at her side for it.

Aurora looked at her curiously. “What?” she asked.

“Nothing,” Mulan chuckled. “I’m just so proud of you,” she said.

Aurora smiled shyly. “Thank you. You helped me a lot,” she said.

Mulan shrugged. “I gave you a push in the right direction.”

“No,” Aurora shook her head. “You saved me.” Mulan ducked her head, she wasn’t really used to getting compliments. Aurora lifted up her head. “You really did.”

“Thank you,” Mulan smiled shyly.

“No, thank you,” Aurora smiled and kissed her deeply.

“Oy, lovebirds!”

They looked up and saw Maria walking towards them, waving at them.

“Hey,” Mulan greeted the broad smiling woman before them.

“Hi,” Maria smiled. “Congratulations on your big win,” she said.

“Thank you,” Aurora smiled. “Were you there?” she asked.

“Our whole team was there,” Maria winked. “Oh, before I forget. There’s a big party tonight at the house in honour of your win.”

“Again?” Mulan chuckled.

“Hey, you guys deserve it,” Maria simply said.

“Thanks,” Mulan said. “How are you guys doing?” she asked.

“Not bad,” Maria said. “But we’re not there yet. Still a few more events to come and those Dutchies are kicking our arses,” she groaned.

“Yeah, they are good,” Aurora agreed. “Still strange they didn’t qualify with ice hockey.”

“Be glad,” Maria said. “They are literally born on the ice.”

Both Mulan and Aurora chuckled. “Thanks for letting us know about the party,” Mulan said.

“No problem,” Maria said and was about to walk away when she remembered something. “If you see Swan, give her a heads up that Graham saw her and her son,” she said, her voice dropping a few octaves.

Mulan nodded. “We will. Thanks.”

Maria nodded and walked off. Aurora grabbed Mulan’s hand and they continued on their way back to the hotel.

“That doesn’t sound good,” Aurora said.

“No,” Mulan agreed. “I’ll text Emma.”

She pulled out her phone and shot a quick text to Emma warning her about Graham. Aurora suddenly stopped and looked at Mulan with shining eyes.

“Wanna grab a coffee?” she asked, motioning at the cute coffee place they stood before.

“Good idea,” Mulan smiled and they walked inside.

~~~

Hand in hand, Emma and Regina walked out of the elevator. They would meet Henry and Amanda down at the restaurant and after a quick shower, they were ready to go see their son.

“Now I get why you were so anxious,” Regina said with a chuckle.

“Yes,” Emma said. “I met up with Henry to tell him I was going to do it after the game, no matter the outcome, while you were with Whale. Some of the girls from the team knew too.”

“I bet,” Regina said, shaking her head. “You are terrible at keeping secrets.”

“I know,” Emma laughed. “It was horrible.”

“Serves you right,” Regina teased her.

They walked into the restaurant and soon spotted Henry and Amanda. Amanda stood up to give them some privacy, but Regina stopped her as Emma sat down with Henry.

“Hi Regina,” Amanda smiled and hugged the other woman.

“Hey,” Regina smiled. “Thank you for coming with him.”

“No problem at all,” Amanda said, looking affectionately at Henry. “You’ll get the bill at the end of the month,” she joked.

Regina chuckled. “Did everything go well?” she asked concerned.

“Yes. The people at both airports were very helpful. The flight went splendidly,” Amanda told her. “Henry has gotten stronger and stronger. He’s almost back at his old level,” she added.

“That is good to hear,” Regina said. “Why don’t you stay with us?” she asked.

“No,” Amanda said. “You three need some family time. Just let me know when I can come pick him up again.”

“I will,” Regina said. “Thank you.”

Amanda nodded, waved at Emma and Henry and left the restaurant.

“She’s not staying?” Emma asked, watching Amanda walk away.

“No, she wanted to give us some family time,” Regina said as she sat down after she had hugged Henry. “I can’t believe you’re here,” she said with a soft smile.

“Me neither,” Henry chuckled. “I really wasn’t sure if I could pull it off, but Mary Margaret and David helped me a lot,” he said. “They actually booked the flight and paid for the hotel.”

“What?” Emma said incredulously. “Are they mental?” she muttered.

“I am going to pay them back,” Henry reassured her. “But they really wanted me to go.”

“At least now I know where you get your craziness from,” Regina chuckled.

“Not from me,” Emma defended herself.

“Says the one who does an impromptu proposal,” Henry laughed. “It was really cute, by the way,” he beamed.

“Thanks, kid,” Emma smirked.

“How have you been?” Regina asked him. “Amanda told me you improved?”

“I did,” Henry nodded. “This new therapy is really helping me. My therapist even thinks of setting up shop at my school as a lot of kids at my school have respiratory problems.”

“That sounds like a good idea,” Regina nodded.

“Oh, and I have been selected for our school's hockey team,” he beamed. “We’re actually going to join in some serious competitions,” he told them.

“Wow, congratulations,” Regina smiled.

“So, how cool is it to be here and be a bronze medal winner?” Henry asked, buzzing with excitement.

“Very cool,” Emma smiled. “Maybe we should do a tour tomorrow?” she suggested.

Regina nodded. “There are still events going on. What do you want to see?” she asked.

“Speed skating of course,” Henry said. “And maybe snowboarding? And another ice hockey game would be really cool too,” he added.

“We could go to the women’s final,” Regina said, already getting the schedule. “That’s tomorrow.”

“Awesome,” Henry beamed and yawned. “That jetlag is a bitch,” he complained.

Emma chuckled, but Regina frowned. “Language,” she warned him.

“Yes, Captain America,” Henry chuckled and Regina shook her head.

Emma just watched, praising herself lucky to call them family. She couldn’t wait for them to really start that next adventure…


	17. Family Time

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone! Due to everything that's happening in the world, I didn't feel like posting. To be honest, I've felt quite out of it the last week. But today I decided I'm going to post the remainder of this story all at once, because I think we all need a bit of distractions these days! So, a bit sooner then I imagined, I want to say thank you to all who have read my story, commented and left kudo's. They brightened my days!  
> A special thanks to Maggie, my beta and to Errol's Feather, who support me and listened to me rambling on about this story. Thank you!
> 
> Without further ado, the rest of 'Score (And How To Keep Her Heart)'

“Fuck,” Emma swore softly as she checked her phone.

It had died the day before and she had forgotten to check it before she went to bed. Well, not forgotten exactly. Regina had distracted her. That’s why she was only reading Mulan’s text now.

“What babe?” Regina asked sleepily.

“Mulan texted me yesterday. Apparently, Graham has seen me with Henry,” Emma explained.

“And that’s bad?” Regina asked.

“I think so, or Mulan wouldn’t warn me,” Emma sighed, she did not look forward to this.

“But he doesn’t know who Henry is his, right?” Regina asked, sitting up now.

“Let’s hope not,” Emma replied. “But as soon as he sees us together with Henry, he will.”

Regina nodded. “Fuck,” she said.

“Exactly,” Emma chuckled. “I’ll be glad when we’re back home and away from this batshit crazy circus.”

“I agree,” Regina said and laid back down.

She pulled Emma with her and Emma landed on top of her. Emma propped herself up and looked at the beautiful woman beneath her.

“Shouldn’t we be getting ready to meet our son?” she asked.

Regina checked the clock on the wall and smirked. “We’ve got time.”

“Do we now?” Emma chuckled and kissed her fiancée.

She smirked, that sounded so good. Regina reached up, wrapping her arms around Emma’s waist. Her hands lowered pretty quickly to her ass and cupped her butt cheeks. Before Emma could react, Regina flipped them. She broke the kiss and grinned at Emma who looked at her in shock.

“Since when are you a top?” Emma asked.

“Always have been,” Regina smirked. “I was just indulging you. But now that you put a ring on it…” she wiggled her brows teasingly.

“Have you now?” Emma chuckled.

“Mhm,” Regina hummed.

She kissed Emma deeply while her hands moved in between their bodies. Her hand slipped underneath Emma’s shirt, touching the smooth skin. Emma moaned into the kiss, bucking up her hips. Regina smirked, not indulging in Emma’s wishes. She moved up, finding Emma’s breasts. Emma wasn’t wearing a bra so Regina could cup a breast without problems. Emma’s nipple grew harder under her palm and Emma moaned again. Regina played with the nipple, making it harder. She broke the kiss and moved to Emma’s neck, marking her there.

“Please, ‘Gina,” Emma moaned.

With her other hand, Regina moved down. She bumped on the band of Emma’s boxer shorts. She moved further down and cupped Emma’s wet sex. Emma bucked her hips up again, almost throwing herself off the bed. Regina held her down, pressing down on Emma’s sensitive cunt. Regina grabbed the elastic band of Emma’s boxers and yanked it down. As she once again cupped Emma’s cunt, she felt how wet she was. Regina smirked as Emma tried to get more friction. With the palm of her hand, she put more pressure on Emma’s clit, making her shake.

“Do you want me?” Regina asked, taking in how beautiful Emma looked right now.

“Yes, please,” Emma moaned.

Regina kissed her again deeply while pinching Emma’s nipple and plunging two fingers into Emma’s wet cunt. Emma trashed at the feeling of pain and pleasure. Regina set a slow pace, driving Emma insane. She broke the kiss so she could look at Emma, who had her eyes closed and all sorts of unintelligible sounds left her mouth.

“You sound so hot, baby,” Regina breathed, holding Emma close.

She had moved her hand to Emma’s back to hold her steady. With the fingers inside Emma, she scratched the little rough patch.

“More,” Emma gasped. “Please.”

Regina pushed in harder, speeding up her pace. Emma’s breathing turned irregular as her body spasmed. Regina held on tight, keeping up her fast pace. Suddenly, Emma’s body stiffened and a powerful orgasm raced through her body. Regina held her close, helping her ride out her orgasm. After minutes, Emma opened her eyes. They were still a bit glazed and a happy smile lay around her mouth.

“Welcome back,” Regina said as she kissed her softly.

“Wow,” Emma breathed. “You can top more often.” Regina chuckled and moved to lay next to Emma. Emma turned towards her immediately, curling up in her arms. Regina breathed in her scent, thinking she was the luckiest woman on the earth. Finally, Emma stretched out and sat up. “Want to join me in the shower?” she asked.

“Yeah, sure,” Regina nodded and sat up as well.

As she moved off the bed, her eye caught the ring on her finger and she smiled involuntarily. Emma saw her looking at the ring and hugged her from behind.

“It looks beautiful on you,” she whispered.

“Well, you gave it to me,” Regina replied and looked aside at Emma.

“I did,” Emma smirked. “Ms Swan-Mills,” she added.

At that Regina’s brow furrowed. “Mills-Swan?” she tried and shook her head, it didn’t sound right. “Swan-Mills,” she agreed.

Emma stepped off the bed and pulled Regina with her into the shower. “I can’t wait to call you my wife,” she said.

“Me neither,” Regina said.

Emma turned on the shower and as they waited for the shower to run hot, Emma helped Regina out of her pyjama’s. Regina pulled Emma’s shirt over her head, leaving them both naked. Emma cupped Regina’s face, taking her in.

“You are so beautiful,” Emma whispered before she kissed Regina.

Regina wrapped her arms around Emma’s waist to pull her closer. She could feel the stickiness between Emma’s legs and smirked. She’d done that. Emma stretched out her arm and felt the shower was at the right temperature. Still kissing Regina, she pulled Regina with her into the shower. Regina hissed as the warm jets hit her skin and Emma smiled. Emma pushed Regina against the wall, her hand darted between Regina’s legs. She found Regina was dripping wet and with one final kiss, Emma crouched down. She grabbed Regina’s hips with both her hands and dove between Regina’s legs. Regina parted her legs to give Emma more access. Emma licked her lips before reaching out with her tongue to Regina’s clit. Regina jumped a bit at the first contact. Emma licked up the delicious juices as she slipped her tongue over Regina’s clit and outer lips. Above her, Regina moaned and grabbed Emma’s head to steer her. Emma took her sweet time but finally entered Regina with her tongue.

“Fuuuuck,” Regina moaned loudly.

Emma pushed her tongue inside as deeply as she could, feeling Regina’s legs tremble. She knew Regina was close and she quickly moved her tongue to Regina’s clit. Regina groaned at the loss of being filled but jumped as Emma flattened her tongue against her clit. Emma felt her body go tense and she quickly pushed her tongue back into Regina. She just could reach the rough patch with the tip of her tongue and touched it. At that, Regina let go and came crashing down. Emma was just in time to catch her. She held Regina as she rode out her orgasm, Emma was softly rubbing her clit with a finger.

“Fuck,” Regina breathed.

“I just did that,” Emma smirked, relishing in having Regina so close against her.

“Fuck you,” Regina replied.

“And you just did that,” Emma chuckled.

“Whatever,” Regina breathed. “That was amazing.”

“You are amazing,” Emma said.

Regina smiled and kissed her. Emma pulled them under the hot stream and they soaped each other up. When they were finished, they emerged from the shower and went to put on clothes. Both of them would have rather stayed in bed and fucked the day away, but their son was waiting for them.

“So, what are we up to today?” Regina asked as she pulled a sweater over her head.

“The ice hockey final, I thought,” Emma said, checking the schedule.

“Oh yeah, the women’s, right?” Regina tried to remember.

“Yeah.”

“Okay. Let’s go see if our son is ready then,” Regina said.

Emma nodded and pulled on her shoes. They walked out of the room and Regina grabbed Emma’s hand as they walked to the elevator to meet Henry.

~~~

Zelena woke up with someone moving next to her and she smiled. Ruby had returned after all. Zelena had waited for Ruby last night, but sleep had overtaken her and she hadn’t heard Ruby come in. An arm wrapped around her waist and Zelena sleepily turned her head, still with her eyes closed.

“Hey,” she murmured.

“Hey,” Ruby replied and kissed her. “Sorry it got so late,” she said.

“It’s okay,” Zelena said. “You came back.”

Ruby nodded and kissed her shoulder gently. “I missed you,” she said.

“I missed you too,” Zelena said as she turned to face Ruby. “How was it?” she asked.

“Fun,” Ruby replied. “We ended up in this cute little tavern I’m so going to take you there too,” she added. “We talked a lot. Belle was curious how our relationship worked and she seemed to get it. She was being all considerate and stuff,” she continued.

“That is cute,” Zelena smiled. “I’m glad you had fun.”

“I did,” Ruby nodded. “And I think she might be interested in you too,” she then said.

“Really?” Zelena asked surprised.

Ruby nodded. “She didn’t say it with so many words, but I’ve seen her look at you. She’s in complete awe with you.”

“That’s adorable,” Zelena chuckled.

“What did you do last night?” Ruby asked.

“Not much, watched some tv and went to sleep,” Zelena told her. “And texted August.”

“How is he?” Ruby wondered, brushing some hair out of Zelena’s face.

“Good. Getting used to the idea of becoming a dad,” Zelena said. “He said he wants to be in the kid’s life.”

“That’s good, right?” Ruby asked.

Zelena nodded. “Yeah. I want him or her to know their dad.”

“Me too,” Ruby agreed. “We’ll figure it out.”

Zelena sighed contently. “We will.” She looked up at Ruby and marvelled out how beautiful she looked. “Maybe we need to go have a drink with Belle together?” she suggested.

“You would want to do that?” Ruby asked surprised.

“Yeah,” Zelena nodded. “Unless you feel like I’m taking your girl?” she asked, suddenly unsure.

Ruby chuckled. “Hell no. I’d rather share with you,” she winked.

“Good,” Zelena smiled. “Then I’m definitely down for meeting up with her.”

“Cool, I’ll send her a text,” Ruby said as she reached for her phone.

Zelena grabbed her arm and pulled her towards her. “Later,” she murmured. “First I need cuddles.”

Ruby chuckled and pulled her girlfriend close. Zelena snuggled up to her and closed her eyes, all the stress of the past days forgotten…

~~~

Emma, Regina, Henry and Amanda had made their way to the ice rink. They had managed to get places on the handicapped spot and were now waiting for the game to start.

“Quite funny to look at a game from this side,” Emma chuckled.

“I know, right,” Regina agreed. She turned to face Henry. “Are you warm enough?” she asked him.

“Yes mom,” he replied. “Who do you think will win?” he asked curiously.

“I think Canada,” Emma said. “They are really strong.”

“But so is America,” Henry argued. “They have a really good gameplay this year.”

“I think it will be an intense game,” Regina said. “Both teams are very good.”

“Aren’t you sad you guys aren’t in the final?” he asked curiously.

Regina glanced at Emma who shrugged. “Not really,” Emma said. “We’ve come so far and we’ve had a few setbacks. We did what we could.”

Henry nodded. “Yeah. That is true. Who knows, maybe you’ll be able to go again in four years,” he said hopefully.

“If the team keeps working hard, who knows,” Regina nodded.

She and Emma had talked about that option as well. Both of them didn’t know what the future held for them, but they both knew they wanted to keep playing. They both loved to play and it was what had brought them together. As long as their bodies were able to play, they would play.  
Loud music started playing and the lights dimmed, the game was about to start. The American team was the first to enter the ice and to be introduced. Then Canada came up under loud cheering from their fans. They were introduced as well and the game started. Both Emma and Regina made mental notes of both teams gameplay, even though they were done playing. All the way through the first period neither team scored. Just before the first period ended, Canada did a brave attempt to score, but the goalie stopped the puck. As the puck landed back on the ice, the referee whistled the end of the period. Both teams left the ice and both Emma and Regina knew how stressed they would be.

“Damn, they are good,” Amanda said as she stood up. “Shall I get something to eat and drink for us?” she suggested.

“I’ll come with you,” Emma said and walked away with Amanda.

Henry looked aside at Regina. “I missed you,” he said.

Regina looked up. “I missed you too,” she replied and hugged him.

Normally, Henry hated it, but now he let her hug him. He would never admit it out loud, but he loved it when his mom hugged him. It made him feel special and he could only imagine how it made Emma feel. Regina let go of him and he grabbed her hand to look at the ring.

“Emma chose the perfect ring,” he smiled.

“She did,” Regina nodded and looked back up at him. “Are you okay with all of this?” she asked. “We never discussed this.”

“Of course I am,” he exclaimed. “I get to have both my moms.”

Regina smiled. “Okay, good,” she said. “Did you know she was planning this?” she asked.

“Kind of,” Henry said. “She actually asked me if you even would want to. And of course, I said yes,” he smirked. “You two are perfect for each other.

Regina chuckled and shook her head. “So you played matchmaker, huh?”

“Totally,” he smirked.

Emma and Amanda returned with food and drinks for all of them and Emma sat down next to Regina again.

“What are you two gossiping about?” she asked curiously.

“About you,” Henry replied smartly.

Emma chuckled. “Of course you are. I’m very gossip-worthy,” she replied.

“Getting cocky, are we?” Regina teased her.

Emma smirked. “Yup.”

She quickly kissed Regina. Regina wrapped her free arm around Emma’s waist and grabbed the drink that was standing on the ground. The game started again and Canada managed to score their first goal pretty soon. They cheered along with the fans as they were secretly rooting for Canada. Emma looked sideways and noticed how much Henry was enjoying this experience. She was really glad he had been able to come. She had worried about him, his hospital visit still fresh in her memory but he looked so much stronger now. Her attention got pulled back to the game again as America broke through the defence and scored as well. Regina was right, this would be an intense game. When the second period ended, it was still one to one.

“I’m going to pee,” Regina announced and stood up.

Amanda joined her and they walked away. Emma sat next to Henry and wrapped her arm around his shoulders. He leant his head against her shoulder, the trip was tiring him.

“Having fun?” she asked him.

“Yes,” he said. “I’m glad I could come.”

“Me too, kiddo, me too,” Emma smiled. “Still okay with your mom and me?” she asked.

Henry chuckled. “Yes,” he replied. “Mom just asked me this as well.”

Emma chuckled as well. “We both want you to be okay with it.”

“I know,” Henry said. “But I think it’s perfect. You are my biological mother and mom my adoptive one,” he explained. “And you two are just adorable,” he added.

“Why thank you,” Emma smiled.

Regina and Amanda returned just in time for the last period. Regina smiled when she saw Emma and Henry sitting there cuddling and she decided to sit down next to Emma. Emma smiled at her and grabbed her hand. Regina gladly folded her fingers around Emma’s hand, feeling the need to hold her close.  
The game started up again and both America and Canada proved to be equally strong. Neither of them scored, so the game got suspended with another 15-minute intermission. After the intermission, a 20-minute sudden-victory was played. But even then neither team scored. They all felt the tension rise as the teams were getting ready for penalties. The teams went up equally, scoring effectively until Canada stopped a penalty. Then Canada was up to take the penalty. If they scored, they would win the game and the gold medal. The tension was palpable in the stadium as silence fell down. The Canadian player went up, took the shot and scored. Canada was the official winner of the Olympic Games. Emma, Regina, Henry and Amanda stayed behind to watch the medal ceremony, cheering the Canadians on.

~~~

The next day, they watched the speed-skating event. Henry loved it and had tons of questions for Emma. Emma had answered them all patiently and had suggested going to meet some of her old teammates. Henry had loved that idea, so now they were making their way to the locker rooms. Emma opened the door for Henry and he drove in.

“Woodie!” Maria greeted her and hugged her friend. “So this is the infamous Henry?” she asked as she looked at him.

“He is,” Emma beamed.

“It’s very nice to meet you, Henry,” Maria said as she shook his hand.

“Likewise,” Henry smiled. “You were great out there.”

“Thank you,” Maria smiled.

Emma introduced him to a few more people and then lead them to the middle platform in the middle of the ice rink where she knew she would find Neal. They made it safely to the platform and Emma walked up to Neal.

“Hey Neal,” she greeted him and Neal turned around to face her.

“Emma, hey,” Neal greeted her and hugged her. “Where you watching?” he asked.

“We were,” Emma said. “I want to introduce you to someone,” she said. “This is Henry, my son.”

She stepped aside and Henry appeared behind her. Neal knelt in front of him and shook his hand.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you,” he smiled. “You look like your mom,” he added.

“Thanks,” Henry beamed. “And it’s a pleasure to meet you too.”

Emma watched as they talked, Henry was full of questions and Neal was more than happy to answer them.

“Emma?” Emma’s blood ran cold in her veins when she recognised that voice. Slowly she turned around and found Graham standing behind her, staring with an open mouth at Henry. “Is that him?” he asked softly.

Emma sighed and saw from the corner of her eyes that Regina was walking over to her.

“Yes,” she said shortly.

“Shit,” Graham breathed and made an attempt to walk over to Henry, but Emma stopped him. “What?” he protested.

“You made it very clear you don’t want anything to do with him,” Emma reminded him. “So I don’t want you to go over there and make him all upset.”

“But he’s my son too!” he protested.

“Keep your voice down!” Emma warned him and pushed him back out of Henry’s earshot. Regina was standing beside her, she had placed her hand in the small of Emma’s back to show her support. “You’re a bit late in claiming that,” she added.

“Come on, you can’t be serious,” Graham bristled.

“You were when you left me standing in the cold while pregnant,” Emma threw back.

“I was young,” he objected.

“So was I! And scared,” Emma replied. “You need to leave. Now.”

“Fine,” he bit. “But this isn’t the last you hear of me.”

He turned around and stomped away. Emma watched him go, barely holding it together. Regina wrapped her arm around Emma’s waist, pulling her close.

“You’re okay,” Regina whispered in her ear. “You did the right thing.”

Emma nodded. “He better not sue for custody,” she said under her breath.

“He won’t,” Regina assured her. “And even if he did, he would lose.”

“Mom, Emma!” Henry called them over. “Look what I got!”

He held up a cap signed by Neal and a bunch of other skaters that were hanging around. Emma pulled herself together and smiled at him as she walked back to him.

“Awesome!” she said.

Henry looked at her with a frown. “What’s wrong?” he asked.

“Nothing kiddo,” she assured him. “Nothing to worry about.”

She glanced at Neal, he had seen her talking to Graham and nodded at her. He had her back. She smiled at him in thanks. She diverted her attention back to Henry, who was talking enthusiastically about everything he had seen and heard. Both Emma and Regina listened to him with a smile. Neither of them saw Graham was watching them…

~~~

Emma looked around the room she had spent the past two weeks in. She was all packed up. The only thing they had to go to was the closing ceremony. From previous experiences, Emma remembered that she had often left before the closing ceremony. But now that Henry was here, she was more than willing to stay.

“Heard anything from Graham?” Regina asked as she clipped the necklace close around her neck.

Emma shook her head. “No. I don’t think he will take any action. It could harm his reputation and career,” she said.

“Yeah, probably. And he is a stickler for reputation,” Regina agreed.

“I’m just glad Henry didn’t see him,” Emma sighed.

“Me too,” Regina said. Regina walked over to Emma and wrapped her arms around her waist. “But he does know who his father is, right?” Regina asked.

Emma nodded. “He does. He once asked me about him and I told him. I don’t think he has a desire to meet him.”

“Good,” Regina said. “I love you.”

Emma smiled. “I love you, too.”

Regina kissed her before she let go and walked over to her suitcase on the bed. “Zelena and Ruby will meet us in the lobby,” she said.

“Great. I think Mulan and Aurora are tagging along as well,” Emma said.

“Nice, one happy bunch then,” Regina chuckled.

“Yeah,” Emma smirked. “Ready to go?”

Regina nodded and they left their hotel room. They would fly home early the next morning, so this would be their last night here. Emma grabbed Regina’s hand as they walked to the elevator. When they walked into the lobby, they spotted Henry, Amanda, Zelena, Ruby, Mulan and Aurora.

“Took you long enough,” Zelena teased. “Where you two… hung up on each other?” she tried to be stealthy.

“Aunt Zelena, I know what you are trying to say and ew,” Henry replied, pulling a grimace.

“He knows you too well, sis,” Regina chuckled. “And no, we were not.”

Emma chuckled. “Shall we go?” she asked.

They all were ready to go, so they walked out of the hotel. The closing ceremony was being held in the same stadium the opening ceremony had been and it wasn’t a long walk from the hotel. The Chinese once again had set up a huge show to say farewell to all the athletes. Regina had been asked to be the flag bearer, but she had refused. She’d much rather spent the ceremony with her family, she had told them. They had understood and had chosen another athlete. Emma thought it was one of the snowboarders who had done really well. Regina had managed to get Henry and Amanda on the list, so they were placed at the handicapped spots.

“I wish he was allowed to just walk with us,” Regina sighed.

“Me too,” Emma said. “But he’s still here and gets to experience it as well.”

“I know,” Regina said. “I’m glad you’re here.”

“And I’m glad you’re here too,” Emma smiled and kissed her.

Behind them, Ruby wolf-whistled.

“Get a room you two,” Zelena called at them.

Regina flipped her off and pulled Emma closer to deepen the kiss, just to mess with Zelena. The line moved, so they had to break the kiss. Emma smirked, holding Regina’s hand tightly.

Behind them, Belle caught up with Zelena and Ruby, smiling up at them.

“Hi,” she said.

“Hey Belle,” Zelena greeted her and hugged her.

Surprised, Belle hugged her back. “So, are you in for a drink later?” Zelena asked the shy woman.

“Yeah, sounds like fun,” Belle smiled.

Zelena chuckled, Ruby had been right. Belle was completely awestruck and Zelena found it endearing. Belle wouldn’t be a girl she would go for straight away, but she was cute.

“Great,” Zelena smiled.

She pulled Belle in between them and linked their pinkies. She saw Ruby was holding her hand on the other side and Zelena believed there was something in the making here. She wasn’t quite sure what it was, but she liked it.

Finally, they were allowed to enter the stadium. Quite a few countries were already inside. As soon as they entered the stadium, both Emma and Regina were looking for Henry. They waved at him and Amanda as soon as they found him. Henry waved back enthusiastically. The music blared loudly through the stadium, so talking was out of the question for now. From the sounds of the cheering from the audience, a famous band was performing. When they were done, the music was turned down.

“This is almost as spectacular as the opening,” Regina noted.

“Yeah,” Emma agreed, she was filming it all.

During her stay, she had filmed as much as she could for Henry and had sent him the footage. Henry had told her he would make a big vlog about this adventure, he had uploaded a few while they had been away.

“Henry is going to be so exhausted when we get home,” Regina mused.

“But I think he will feel it was worth it,” Emma replied.

“Yeah,” Regina smiled.

The stadium darkened and a huge Chinese dragon walked into the stadium. Emma tried to get in the frame and hoped it was visible enough. Another dragon entered behind the first dragon and they performed a traditional dance together. The audience went completely silent during the performance and everyone was impressed with the serenity of it all. At the end of the dance, the Olympic flame got put out, signalling the official end of the Olympic Games. They all applauded and they were guided out of the stadium. Emma and Regina stepped aside as soon as they left the stadium, waiting for Henry and Amanda to find them. Regina had texted him to tell him where they stood.

“It’s really over,” Regina said as she put away her phone.

Emma nodded. “It really is,” she said. “I’m going to miss it.”

“Me too, but we made some great memories,” Regina countered. “Including this.” She held up her hand, showing off the ring.

Emma grabbed her hand and kissed the ring. “Yes,” she smiled.

“Mom, Emma!”

They looked up and saw Henry driving towards them with a big smile on his face.

“Hey kiddo,” Emma smiled and ruffled his hair.

“Emma!” he complained and tried to get his hair back where it was.

“Shit, sorry,” Emma said and wanted to help him, but Regina stopped her shaking her head quickly.

Emma withdrew her hand and waited until Henry was done.

“That was so cool!” he exclaimed, looking up at them.

“I’m glad you thought so,” Regina smiled and at an easy stroll, they walked back to the hotel.

“Did you get some footage?” Henry asked Emma.

“I think I did,” Emma nodded. “I think it’s going to be an awesome vlog.”

“Me too,” Henry beamed.

At the hotel, they said their goodbyes, Henry and Amanda stayed at a different hotel just outside the Village. Content, Emma and Regina walked into their hotel hand in hand.

“I’ll be glad when we’re back home,” Regina said as she entered the hotel room.

“Yeah, me too,” Emma nodded.

“Oh, we need to set a date for when you move in,” Regina suddenly said. “Can you leave right away or do you need to give notice?” she asked.

Emma shook her head. “I can leave whenever I want. August isn’t renting it officially,” she said.

“Okay, good,” Regina nodded. “But I understand if you need a couple of days to rest after we get home.”

“Yeah, I think I need those. Need to pack anyway,” Emma said. “It will be okay.”

She stripped out of her clothes and slipped on her sleeping shirt and sweatpants and rolled into bed. Regina soon followed her and Emma curled up against her.

The Olympic Games were officially over for them…


	18. Welcome Home

It was a cold morning, frost covering the trees and the roads. Ivy looked up from the text she had written the night before when she heard footsteps approaching the auditorium where her mother was being kept until the funeral. The entire ice hockey team was walking towards her, all were in full gear, minus the skates. Ivy stood up in awe and her heart constricted painfully. Seeing her team like this made her feel good and bad at the same time. Good because they would always have her back; sad because it made her miss her mother even more.

They stopped before her and Regina stepped forward.

“We all felt this would be the most appropriate,” she started, motioning behind her. “I think Victoria would laugh herself silly if we showed up all dressed in black.”

At that Ivy chuckled and nodded. “Yes,” she said.

“I brought your gear too,” Emma said as she stepped forward and handed Ivy a bag.

Ivy frowned, she hadn’t worn her gear ever since her mother died yet she felt it was the right thing to do, so she accepted the bag. Behind her, Ana approached and she heard her sister gasp.

“This is perfect,” Ana said as she came to stand next to Ivy.

“We thought so too,” Regina said and handed her a bag as well.

Ana and Ivy glanced at each other, both agreeing this was meant to be.

“We’ll be right back,” Ivy said. “Please walk through, mother is behind those doors,” she pointed at the oak doors behind her.

Regina nodded and Ivy and Ana walked away to get changed as well. Emma grabbed her hand and, after a short moment of reflection, they moved as one into the room. They entered a room filled with chairs and a stage upfront where the casket stood. They formed a line and Regina and Emma walked up the stage first. Emma spread a jersey of the national team over the casket, Victoria’s name was embroiled in it above the number ninety-nine. Emma held Regina’s hand tightly as they walked past the open casket and were able to say their final goodbyes. Victoria looked peaceful and Emma was glad for it, she deserved it. She walked off the stage after one last glance and found a seat next to Regina. They watched as the rest of the team said their goodbye’s, even Gold was there. Killian came to sit next to Emma and she looked aside at him. He tried his hardest to keep his emotions contained, but Emma could see how much effort it took him. She placed her hand on his leg, with her palm up. Killian glanced at it and for a moment Emma thought he wasn’t going to take it, but then he clasped his hand around hers. Other guests filed in, Henry was there as well.

“I’m going to say hi to him,” Regina whispered to Emma and went over to their son.

He had come with Amanda and Emma could see he was struggling. Regina hugged him and Emma could feel her heart break. Regina tried to let go of him, but he kept holding on to her. Emma watched as Regina talked to him softly and stood up when Regina came over with him. Emma removed a chair to make space for him and she and Regina sat on either side of him. Henry looked at her with sad eyes and she immediately hugged him. She felt him shiver in her arms and she wished she could take his grief away. She sat back down and held his hand and Killian’s. Regina glanced at her and Emma nodded at her, they would find comfort with each other later.

The service started, a female administrator leading the service. A few people who were close to Victoria or worked with her spoke a few words. After an instrumental song Emma didn’t know, Ivy walked on to the stage. Her hands shook, but she managed to keep her voice steady.

“My mother and I were never really close,” Ivy started. “She was always busy with coaching, so it was natural my sister and I started to play ice hockey. We told ourselves it was because we liked it, but I think it was so we could be closer to her. I would be lying if I said it helped. Because it did not. Instead, she semi-adopted Killian and she couldn’t get me madder. When we qualified for the Olympic Games, I heard my mother utter the words I’m proud of you. Then she got sick. She didn’t even tell us first, but I finally saw who my mother really was. A fighter. A survivor. But it wasn’t enough. The cancer won. But the cancer also gave me my most valuable memories of my mother. I resented her for a long time and she wasn’t the easiest to live with, but she was my mother and she always will be.”

Ivy’s voice broke at the last words and Ana shot forward to support her. Ivy clung to Ana as they made their way back to their chairs. Emma wiped away the tears, Ivy had described the exact feelings Emma had of Victoria. The service went on until it was time to carry Victoria to her last resting place.  
They had decided six people from the team would carry the casket, so Emma, Regina, Aurora, Ruby, Zelena and Mal gathered in front. The rest of the guests had made their way outside already and would wait for them there. The casket got closed off and they were instructed to come stand next to the casket. As one, they lifted the casket up and placed it on their shoulders. In a steady tread, they walked outside were the guests were forming two lines where they walked through. The administrator walked in front of them, guiding them to a freshly dug grave. They placed the casket on the machine that would lower the casket into the ground. As neither Victoria nor her children were religious, the administrator motioned for everyone to walk past the casket and place the roses that were handed out at the auditorium on the casket. Ivy went first, followed by Ana and Killian. Then the team followed and the rest of the guests. Everyone gathered back at the auditorium where coffee and cake was served.

“She would have had a field day if she saw this,” Ruby chuckled, holding up the piece of cake.

“She would make us do ten more rounds because of it,” Mulan said.

They chuckled, but it died out quickly. It was only now they all realised Victoria would never chase them around the ice again and the pain was palpable. Emma and Regina were one of the first ones to leave, Henry was exhausted. Regina thanked Amanda for coming and sent her home, she would take care of Henry now.

She secured Henry’s wheelchair in the van as Emma started the engine. Regina closed the door and stepped in next to Emma.

“I hate this,” Emma sighed, looking at the sombre-looking auditorium.

“Me too,” Regina agreed and squeezed Emma’s hand softly.

Emma put the van in reverse, turned and drove away from the auditorium, leaving Victoria behind for good…

~~~

Two days later, the mood was more festive. August had organised a welcome back party for team Great Britain and the pub was packed. August had closed the pub for other guests, so the team had some privacy to celebrate with their friends and family. Emma was leaning on the bar, watching the madness evolve around her. Mary Margaret, David, Hans and Gretel had come as well and Hans was in a deep conversation with Killian. Emma didn’t really have to guess what they were talking about, ice hockey.

“He looks better, doesn’t he?” Regina asked next to her, also looking at Killian.

Emma nodded. “Yeah. He’ll pull through.”

“Yeah, he’s stronger then we think.” Regina looked up at her fiancée. “Have you told him yet?” she asked.

“No, but I was planning on it tonight,” Emma smirked.

“Telling who what?” August asked curiously.

“You,” Emma said. “I’m moving out.”

“What?” he reacted surprised. “Where are you going then?” he asked.

“Regina has asked me to move in and I said yes,” Emma explained. “You don’t mind, do you?” she asked suddenly concerned.

“Of course not,” August said. “Now I don’t have to be considerate anymore when I have sex,” he teased. Emma stuck out her tongue. The first night she had been back, August and Joanne, his new girlfriend, had kept her up until the wee hours. She had complained loudly about it the next day. “Congratulations,” he smiled at them.

“That’s not all,” Regina beamed and stuck out her hand, showing off her ring.

“No way!” August exclaimed. “That’s amazing! Congratulations to the both of you!” he beamed and dashed from behind the bar to hug Regina and then Emma.

“Thank you,” Regina beamed.

“Oh my god!” Mary Margaret exclaimed next to her, eyeing the ring. “You asked her?” she asked as she looked up Emma.

“I did,” Emma smirked.

Mary Margaret squealed and hugged Emma tightly. “That is amazing,” she almost screamed in Emma’s ear.

“Thanks, mom,” Emma smiled.

Mary Margaret let go of Emma and hugged Regina as well. “Welcome to the family,” Mary Margaret beamed.

“Thanks,” Regina smiled.

Mary Margaret pulled both of them with her to go find David. Regina looked alarmed at Emma, who merely shrugged her shoulders a bit helplessly.

They passed Zelena, who was making her way to August.

“What’s happening there?” she asked August.

“Mary Margaret discovered Emma got engaged to Regina,” he explained.

“Ah, I see,” Zelena said as she climbed on a stool.

“You look good,” August said as he looked at Zelena.

“Thanks,” Zelena replied. “I feel good.”

“That’s great,” he nodded.

An awkward silence fell between them. August kept himself busy with cleaning glass as Zelena watched him.

“Look, I just want to talk to you,” Zelena started. “This is your child too and I would love it if you played a part in his or her life.”

August stopped with what he was doing and looked up. “I would love that too,” he admitted.

“What does your girlfriend think of it?” Zelena asked carefully.

“She’s not exactly thrilled, but she gets it,” he said. “Yesterday she even said we should clear out a room,” he added with a smile.

Zelena smiled as well. “That’s good to hear.”

“Speaking of…” his voice trailed off as a woman walked out of the kitchen. She had long dark hair hanging in a braid on her back and kind blue eyes. “Zelena, I would like to introduce you to Joanne.”

“So you are the infamous Zelena,” Joanne smiled and held out her hand to Zelena.

“I am,” she chuckled and shook Joanne’s hand. “It’s nice to meet you.”

“Likewise,” Joanne smiled. “How are you feeling?” she asked curiously as she walked around the bar.

“Pretty good, surprisingly enough,” Zelena said and looked aside as Joanne sat next to her. “I puked my guts out in Beijing. It kept me from playing one game.”

“Ah, that must have sucked,” Joanne sympathised.

“It did.”

August watched them with a smile on his face, he was glad they seemed to like each other. Ruby pulled his attention, asking for two beers and a water. The pub suddenly went silent when Ivy and Ana entered and Emma was the first one to walk over to them.

“You made it,” she smiled.

“Ana made me,” Ivy said sternly. “But it’s good to be here,” she added with a softer voice.

Emma smiled and pulled her into a hug. Ivy clung to her for a moment and let go. Ana stepped up and got a bear hug from Emma as well. “Thank you for texting me,” she murmured.

“You’re welcome.” Emma winked and let go of Ana.

She walked back to Regina and her parents, watching Ana and Ivy as they got hugs from the rest of the team.

“Poor kids,” Mary Margaret said, looking at them as well.

“Yeah, it’s going to be tough for them,” Regina nodded. “But they are not alone.”

Mary Margaret smiled and nodded. “Are you two going to keep playing for the national team?” she asked.

“As long as they want us, yes,” Emma replied. “But it will be a bit quieter now in that department. But we’ve still got the Streatham Storm,” she grinned.

“Hans is well on his way to being a coach, by the way,” David said. “He’s coaching the juniors on his own now.”

“Oh wow, that’s so good,” Emma beamed. “Has he been doing well with everything else?” she asked, trying to avoid what she really wanted to know.

David picked up on it regardless and nodded. “It’s been quiet,” he filled her in. “No more strange people or him disappearing,” he added.

Emma nodded. “Good.”

Emma took another swig of her beer, feeling content. Her fiancée was talking with Mal, and Henry was charming the pants off the ladies around him. Emma smiled, she'd finally found her place…

~~~

“Oh my god!” Zelena exclaimed, walking into the kitchen.

“What?” Regina asked, looking up from the magazine she was reading.

“We’ve got a freaking invitation from Buckingham Palace!”

“What??”

Zelena shoved the letter under Regina’s nose and, incredulous, she read the letter.

It was true, a very real invitation to the British Women’s Ice Hockey team to go meet the Queen in a couple of weeks.

“We’re going to meet the Queen,” Zelena squealed excitedly.

“This is insane,” Regina said incredulously, reading the invite again. “Holy shit.”

Both their phones went off as the group app exploded. More members of the team had seen the invitation and everyone was excited to go. Regina frowned, she didn’t see a text from Emma in the group app.

“She’s probably still asleep,” Zelena said, as she saw the frown on Regina’s face.

“Yeah, probably,” Regina nodded, sending Emma a private text nonetheless. “How is house-hunting going?” she asked as she looked up from her phone.

“Long and tedious,” Zelena sighed. “But we’re going to check out another house this afternoon.”

“Good,” Regina replied. “I think it’s incredible you two found each other,” she smiled softly.

“Yeah, I think that too,” Zelena said. “I still don’t know what I did to deserve her.”

“You two are just perfect for each other. The kid is going to be lucky,” Regina said as she stood up.

“Yeah,” Zelena agreed, rubbing her growing belly lovingly. “I can’t wait to meet him or her. And you are going to be an amazing aunt,” she added, looking up at her sister.

“Thank you,” Regina smiled and hugged her sister. “I can’t wait to meet them either.”

“I feel like my life is finally coming together,” Zelena admitted. “I mean, I have Ruby, you, Henry, Emma. One big happy family,” she smiled.

“Yeah, and with this little one it will only expand more,” Regina said. “I knew you would find what you were looking for, sis,” she added.

“I had my doubts for a very long time,” Zelena frowned. “Thank you for sticking with me.”

“No problem at all. That’s what sisters are for,” Regina winked.

Zelena chuckled and stood up. “I’m going for a run,” she said. “Want to join me?”

Regina thought for a moment, then nodded. “Yeah,” she said. “Let me get changed.”

Zelena nodded and Regina walked out of the kitchen to get changed. Zelena picked up her phone and scrolled through the pictures of the house she was going to see this afternoon with Ruby. Her phone buzzed and she saw she had a text from Belle.

Belle: Thank you for last night. I loved it!

Zelena smiled. She, Ruby and Belle had hung out after the party ended in the pub. Belle had a lot of questions about how their relationship worked and both Zelena and Ruby had tried to answer those questions as best as they could. It had looked like a different world had opened for Belle and even though she had a lot to process, she appeared to be open for it. The night had ended with some dancing and kissing. They didn’t go any further than kissing, but Zelena had seen how Belle’s eyes had turned darker with lust. Zelena had proposed they continue the party at home, but Belle had declined. Apparently, that was a step too far for her still, so they had taken her home. Belle had thanked them with a deep kiss, leaving a promise for more in the future. Zelena and Ruby had gone home and ended up having mind-blowing sex. Ruby had asked if they should let Belle know she was missing out, but Zelena had said that they should leave her for now. She had a lot to process. Ruby had agreed but also said she hoped that Belle would join them eventually.

“Like a throuple?” Zelena had asked.

“Maybe,” Ruby nodded. “If that would be something you would be interested in as well.”

“I would like it, I think,” Zelena had admitted. “I mean, Belle is a sweetheart. But I would need to get to know her better,” she added.

“Maybe you two should go on a date,” Ruby had offered.

So now Zelena was staring at Belle’s text, contemplating what she should write. She heard Regina walking around above her, knowing she was almost done.

Zelena: I loved it too! Would you like to grab a cup of coffee some time? Just the two of us?

She quickly pressed send, her heart pounding in her ears. She hoped she wasn’t putting too much pressure on Belle but hanging out with her last night had started something within her. She’d never noticed Belle before, but she was really cute.

“Are you ready?” Regina asked behind her.

“Yeah,” Zelena said and walked after Regina out of the house.

She sent a quick text to Ruby, letting her know she asked Belle out for a coffee. Zelena loved the fact that Ruby was totally okay with this and was actually pushing her to meet up with Belle. With a smile on her face, she jogged next to Regina. She had never felt this free before…

~~~

Aurora looked up nervously at her parent’s house. As soon as she had come home, she had called her mother to make an appointment to come see them. They had been overjoyed and invited her over along with Philip. Aurora had told her mother Philip wouldn’t be coming along and that she would explain it all.

“Are you ready?” Mulan asked next to her.

Aurora had asked her to come with her, she needed all the support she could get.

“Not really, but it’s now or never, right?” Aurora tried to smile bravely, but it turned into a painful grimace.

“I’ve got your back,” Mulan assured her.

Aurora nodded, took a deep breath and rang the doorbell. Tension rose as they waited for the door to open. Finally, the door opened and Aurora’s father, Stefan, appeared.

“Aurora!” he beamed and hugged her.

“Hey, Dad,” Aurora smiled and hugged him back. “It’s good to see you.”

“Same! And who is this?” he asked, looking over at Mulan.

“Hi, I’m Mulan Hua,” Mulan introduced herself.

“Nice to meet you,” Stefan said. “Come on in.” He stepped aside and Aurora and Mulan walked inside. “You are on the team as well, right?” Stefan asked Mulan.

“Uh…” Mulan stuttered, thinking he meant being on the gay-team.

“The ice hockey team?” he helped, shooting her a curious look.

“I am, sir,” Mulan smiled relieved. “I play right wing.”

“Yeah, we’ve seen you in action,” Stefan smiled.

They walked into the living room where Aurora’s mother just finished tidying up. Aurora chuckled softly, it was so like her mother.

“Aurora, my dear,” Leah said and walked towards Aurora with open arms. “We have missed you so much,” she said.

“I missed you, too,” Aurora smiled, hugging her mother back.

She relished in how warm and friendly they were now, knowing it wouldn’t last long. Leah pulled back and looked up at Mulan.

“Who is your friend?” she asked curiously.

“This is Mulan,” Aurora introduced her.

“Nice to meet you, ma’am,” Mulan smiled and shook Leah’s hand.

“A well-mannered young lady. I like you,” Leah smiled.

Aurora and Mulan settled on the couch whereas her parents settled in their respective lazy chairs.

“How have you been?” Leah asked. “Why couldn’t Philip come?”

Here we go, Aurora thought as she took a deep breath.

“Philip and I are divorced,” she told them, watching their reactions sharply.

“What? Why?” Leah exclaimed. “He is such a lovely young man. And a Christian.”

Aurora took another deep breath, she knew they would start about faith. Her parents were very good Christians, going to church twice a week and volunteering whenever they could. Aurora had started to resent it, as the church forbid divorcing and condemned you if you were gay.

“Yeah, until he started to hit me,” Aurora bit out. “Philip wasn’t very Christian in that.”

Leah and Stefan glanced at each other with shocked faces. Stefan looked sternly back at Aurora.

“Are you sure you haven’t imagined that?” he asked darkly. “You’ve made up stories before.”

Aurora looked at him speechlessly, realising how big of a mistake coming here was. Mulan decided to intervene at that moment, seeing how devastated Aurora looked.

“She did not imagine it, sir,” Mulan said. “He beat me up too.” She turned her face to show the scar on her cheek. “He had been abusing her for years.”

“But, he looked like such a good man,” Leah protested, clasping her hand before her mouth.

“Looks can be deceiving, Mom,” Aurora said. “He is in jail now and I never want to see him again.”

Stefan nodded, he seemed to believe Aurora now. “How long did he get?” he asked.

“Seven years,” Aurora told him.

“Okay,” Stefan said and nodded. “I’m glad you are okay,” he added with a softer voice.

“Thanks, Dad,” Aurora smiled and took another deep breath. It was now or never. “There is something else I would like to tell you,” she said.

“Okay, we are listening,” Leah nodded.

Aurora looked aside at Mulan and grabbed her hand. This would be the hardest part. “All through this, Mulan has been at my side. She defended me, cared for me and helped me through numerous nightmares. And somewhere along the line, we fell in love,” she said, her heart beating fast.

She watched her mother grow pale with shock and her father grew red with anger. Stefan stood up, his eyes were spitting fire.

“GET OUT!” he yelled.

“Dad, please,” Aurora begged, tears in her eyes.

“No daughter of mine is gay!” he bellowed. “Get out of my house. I don’t want to ever see you again!”

Aurora wanted to try and talk to him, but Mulan pulled her with her. Aurora looked at her mother, who was avoiding her eyes.

“Mom,” she begged.

Leah didn’t respond.

Crying, Aurora let herself be lead out of her parent’s house by Mulan. Mulan guided her through the street back to Mulan’s car, helped Aurora in the car, walked around the car and stepped in as well. She started the car and drove out of the street as fast as she could.

As she looked in the rearview mirror, she saw Leah staring after them and Mulan hit the gas pedal. She needed to get Aurora out of this toxic place as fast as she could. She didn’t believe Leah really agreed with her husband, but she wasn’t strong enough to stand up against him.

Mulan turned her head a bit and found Aurora still crying softly. When they had driven out of the village, Mulan parked the car on the side of the road and pulled Aurora into her arms. Aurora clung to her, body shaking.

“I’m sorry,” Mulan kept whispering over and over.

She let Aurora cry until Aurora pulled back and wiped away the tears. She looked at her girlfriend, watching her pull herself together. Aurora looked back at Mulan with a broken yet determined look in her eyes.

“Bring me home, please?” she asked.

“It will be my pleasure,” Mulan nodded.

She started the engine again and drove off. Aurora grabbed her free hand and looked out of the front window.

“They can get what they ask,” Aurora said. “I will never return to that horrid place.” Mulan squeezed her hand reassuringly, she was so proud of her girlfriend. She also had an inkling this would go awry, Aurora had told her they were very faithful Christians. “You are all I need,” Aurora continued.

“I love you,” Mulan replied.

A smile appeared on Aurora’s face. “And I love you.”

~~~

It was a couple of weeks later and the British team was to be expected for an audience with the Queen of England. They all were wearing their official Olympic outfit and were waiting in the lobby of Buckingham Palace.

“I would so get lost here,” Emma said as she looked around her.

The lobby was huge and decorated in gold and red accents. There were several couches placed across the lobby that belonged in a museum.

“Me too,” Regina agreed. “But it sure is impressive.”

Two big doors on the other side of the lobby opened and an older looking man in a black suit came walking towards them.

“The Queen will see you now,” he said in a posh accent.

The team followed him through the palace until he stopped in front of two giant doors. The doors opened and in front of them appeared a huge room. The Queen and Prince Philip were waiting for them on the other side of the room.

“Great Britain’s Women’s Ice Hockey Team, your Majesty,” a lackey announced them.

The older man in the suit motioned for them to enter the room. Regina and Emma started walking and the rest followed them. They stopped about three feet away from the Queen and Emma could feel her hands getting sweaty. They were actually standing in front of the Queen! Prince Philip winked at her, apparently noticing how nervous she was. Emma smiled at him and took a deep breath.

“It is so nice to have all of you here,” the Queen started. “I wanted to congratulate all of you in person with your remarkable and historic achievement. It has come to my attention that your coach,” she briefly glanced aside at the man in the suit, “Ms. Belfrey has passed away during the Olympic Games, is that right?” she asked.

Regina nodded. “That is right, your Majesty,” she answered, her voice slightly trembling.

“My condolences,” the Queen offered. “She must be missed.”

“That she is, your Majesty,” Regina replied again.

The Queen smiled softly. “I can imagine,” she said. “I’ve had the pleasure of watching one of your games and you all were marvellous. My congratulations on the bronze medal,” she continued.

The man in the black suit motioned for Regina to step forward so she could shake the Queen’s hand. Before they went inside, they had gotten a briefing about how this afternoon would go.

Regina stepped forward and made a curtsey while lightly holding the Queen’s hand. Emma followed and so the whole team passed the Queen. After that, they were escorted out of the big room, back to the lobby.

“Holy...” Emma started. “I would have never imagined meeting the Queen,” she smirked.

Regina chuckled. “Me neither. Not in a million years,” she said with a big smile.

When the team was complete, they left Buckingham Palace. Everyone was wildly impressed.

“She was so kind!” Aurora beamed.

“And she knew about mom,” Ivy smiled. “Mom would have loved it.”

“She totally would,” Ana agreed.

They walked back into London, deciding to grab something to drink at August’s pub. They filed in and August looked surprised at their formal clothing.

“What’s going on here?” he asked.

“We just got back from Buckingham Palace,” Zelena filled him.

“Oh, that was today?” he asked. “How was it?”

“So cool,” Emma said. “The queen is a class apart.”

“I bet she is,” August chuckled.

“She’s even been to one of our games,” Regina said.

“That is so cool,” August agreed. “Actually, it’s good you’re all here. I want to try a new recipe before I open my new restaurant,” he said.

“Wait,” Emma looked at him. “You’re actually going to do it?”

August nodded with a big smile. “Just signed the lease.”

“Congratulations!” Emma smirked and hugged him.

August laughed and hugged her back. “Thank you.”

“What are you going to do with Woody’s?” Regina asked curiously.

“I’m not sure yet,” he admitted. “I don’t want to sell it to a stranger,” he explained.

“No, I get that,” Regina nodded.

“Anyway, find a place to sit and prepare to be amazed,” he announced and disappeared back into the kitchen.

The team settled down at the tables.

“You knew about this?” Regina asked Emma.

“Well, I actually pushed him to go do it. I know how much he loves to cook and he’s really good at it,” Emma explained.

“He really is,” Zelena nodded. “He surprised me more than once with something new. Good for him,” she smiled.

Emma nodded in agreement.

“Let’s hope he can find someone to take over the pub,” Regina said.

“If he can’t, I can always take over,” Emma said. “I’m still his partner.”

“Would you want to do that?” Regina asked surprised.

“Not sure yet,” Emma replied. “But worst-case scenario, I could.”

Regina nodded and was about to reply when August emerged from the kitchen again with delicious smelling food. Quickly he served everyone a plate and watched as the team dug into the food. He smiled as he heard they were enjoying his latest creation, his restaurant could definitely be a success…


	19. Moving Day

Today was finally the day. Emma looked up at the big house where she was about to move in and she couldn’t be happier.

It had all taken a bit longer because Zelena and Ruby couldn’t find a house right away, but they found a house last week and Zelena had moved out the day before.

Emma couldn’t believe she would be living in the same house as her son and her fiancée.

“Out of the way!”

Emma jumped aside to let David pass. He was carrying a big heavy box inside the house. Emma turned to face the minivan the Nolans owned. Hans was hauling out another box and Emma stepped forward to help him out. Together, they carried it inside and set it down in the hallway.

Regina walked into the hallway and looked at the minivan parked outside her door.

“You moved your stuff with that van?” she asked. “Do you need to go back to get the rest?”

Emma shook her head. “No, everything fits in five boxes,” she said.

“Really?” Regina asked shocked.

“I don’t own much,” Emma explained lightly, trying not to feel the hurt that the realisation brought with.

“I see,” Regina nodded, seeing the discomfort on Emma’s face.

David entered with two more boxes and carefully placed the boxes on the ground. “One more,” he said and wanted to go back and get it, but Emma stopped him.

“I’ll get it,” she said.

She dashed outside and returned with the last box.

“Are you sure we can’t help any further?” David asked.

“I’m sure,” Emma smiled and kissed him on the cheek. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome, kid,” he said and hugged his daughter. He looked up at Regina. “You look after her now,” he said semi-seriously.

“I will do that, sir,” Regina smiled.

“Good,” David smiled and went over to hug her as well.

David and Hans said goodbye and left the house. Emma walked after them and watched them drive off. She closed the door and turned around to face Regina. Regina was looking incredulously at the five boxes at her feet.

“Hey, don’t be sad,” Emma said, walking over.

“It’s so little,” Regina choked out.

“I’m used to it. Moving from one foster home to another made me practical. I don’t need a lot of stuff to be happy,” Emma told her.

“But…” Regina started, looking up at her fiancée. “Even with that, it’s so little.”

Emma nodded, finally letting in the pain. “I know.”

Regina hugged Emma tightly. “I’m sorry.”

“Thank you,” Emma whispered.

Emma let go of Regina and grabbed one of the heavier boxes. “Let’s get this upstairs before Henry comes home,” she said.

“Oh,” Regina started.

“What?” Emma asked, turning around to Regina.

“He’s not coming home this weekend,” Regina told her. “He has a hockey game this weekend.”

“Oh,” Emma said. “That’s pretty awesome. We are going to watch that, right?” she asked.

Regina smiled and grabbed one of the boxes. “Of course.”

“Great.”

Emma walked up the stairs to the bedroom and set the box on the ground before the closet. Regina entered the room as well with the box in her hands.

“What’s in this?” she asked.

Emma looked up with a frown. “My summer clothes,” she said.

“I’ll put it in the storage then,” Regina nodded and walked out of the room.

Emma watched her go and started to open the box. In it were her clothes and a book with pictures from her speed skating days. Mary Margaret had gone through a phase she wanted pictures of everything, resulting in this book.

Emma picked it up and leafed through it. There were quite a lot of pictures of her and Maria, they used to be thick as thieves. Emma was glad she had run into Maria again, they would meet up in a couple of days again. Maria had announced her retirement a couple of days ago and Emma had noticed a weight being lifted off her shoulders. She was glad for her friend, it was time to move on for her. Maria had asked Emma for advice, and she was happy to give it to her.

As she leafed through the book further, she found a picture of her and Graham. He was looking at her with a loving glance in his eyes and Emma believed he actually had loved her. She didn’t know what happened to make him so bitter now. Regina had been right, there hadn’t been a word from him about Henry.

“I just got a text from Zelena, they have news,” Regina said from the doorway.

Emma closed the book and looked up at Regina. “Good or bad?” she asked curiously.

“No idea,” Regina said. “Should I haul the rest of the boxes up as well?” she asked.

“Yes, please,” Emma smiled and Regina walked out of the room. “Oh, wait.” Emma jumped up and walked after Regina. “All but one. I found my comic book collection. Or what’s left of it,” she smiled.

“I thought you had left them all at the group home?” Regina asked surprised.

“Apparently not,” Emma said as she walked down the stairs and walked over to one of the boxes. She opened it, but it was full of her medals. She went to another one and found the comic books. “I found the box when I moved to August’s place. I hadn’t had a chance to give them to Henry yet.”

She picked up a few, they looked very old and dusty. Regina glanced at them and smiled.

“Henry is going to be over the moon with these,” she said.

“I’m counting on it,” Emma smirked.

She put the comics back in the box, closed it and carried it to Henry’s room. Regina was looking at the one closed box.

“What’s in that?” she asked.

Emma swallowed. “My old speed skating gear. Including my skates,” she said. Regina looked up at her with compassion. “I couldn’t bear throwing it out,” Emma added.

“I get that,” Regina said. “Storage?” she asked.

“Yes,” Emma nodded and picked up the box with medals. “And these as well.”

They put the boxes away and Emma efficiently cleared out the last box. Regina had made space in her closet and soon Emma was done.

“That was the easiest move ever,” Emma smirked. “Especially knowing it will be a long time until I move again,” she added.

“If you behave, yes,” Regina teased.

“Oh?” Emma smirked, looking up at Regina. Regina smirked at her, one eyebrow cocked. Emma walked over to Regina and pulled her into her arms. “And what happens if I misbehave?” she asked.

“I’ll have to punish you,” Regina replied.

“And how would you do that?” Emma asked, nuzzling Regina’s neck.

“Depends on how bad you misbehave… Oooo,” Regina gasped as Emma sucked on her pulse point. “Maybe you need to be tied up, or…” Regina moaned as Emma moved her leg in between her legs, pushing against her sex.

“Or?” Emma purred in her ear.

“Or denied an orgasm until you’re on good behaviour again,” Regina continued with some struggle.

“We wouldn’t want that now, would we?” Emma whispered in her ear.

“That depends on you,” Regina smirked and moaned again when Emma drove up her leg.

“Let’s see if I can keep the master of the house satisfied,” Emma purred.

She pushed Regina against the wall, kissing her hard. One hand moved down and into Regina’s pants. Emma moaned in the kiss when she felt how wet Regina was for her. Emma removed her hand again, unbuttoning Regina’s pants and pulled them down. Regina had her hands buried underneath Emma’s sweater and lifted it over her head. The kiss broke, both were breathing heavily.

“Fuck me,” Regina breathed before attacking Emma’s mouth again.

Emma complied as her hand travelled back down. She now had free access as Regina had kicked down her panties. She slipped her hand in between Regina’s legs and pushed her fingers in. Regina’s head lolled back against the wall as her back arched.

Neither of them were in the mood for teasing and Emma set a deadly pace. Regina was moaning and calling her name over and over again until she came very hard. Emma held her tight, helping her ride out her orgasm. Slowly, Regina came back to earth and she kissed Emma softly.

Regina pushed Emma towards the bed, while she unbuttoned Emma’s jeans. Emma stepped out of them and her boxer shorts followed suit. Her knees hit the bed and Regina broke the kiss. She pulled Emma’s t-shirt over her head and removed her bra.

“Kneel on the bed for me,” Regina told Emma.

Emma didn’t hesitate and climbed on the bed. Regina removed her own shirt and bra and crawled behind Emma. She wrapped her arms around Emma’s waist, kissing her neck. Emma closed her eyes, relishing in the feeling. Regina moved one hand up, brushing past Emma’s nipples, making them hard. The other hand went down, cupping Emma’s sex. Emma moaned at the feeling, her breathing hitched. Regina put more pressure with the heel of her hand against Emma’s clit, making Emma jerk against her hand.

“Fuuuck,” Emma breathed.

“That’s the plan,” Regina purred.

She curled her fingers, touching Emma’s outer lips and feeling how wet she was. Emma swallowed, leaning her head back on Regina’s shoulder. The hand that was on her nipples moved up to her neck, the fingers loosely wrapped around her neck. Emma normally wasn’t into that, but she trusted Regina. Regina slowly entered Emma with two fingers, eliciting a deep moan from Emma. Regina started moving her fingers in and out of Emma. Emma tried to keep still, but her hips bucked involuntarily.

“More, please,” Emma begged.

Regina added another finger and pushed deeper. Emma groaned, feeling the orgasm brewing in her lower stomach.

“Come for me,” Regina whispered in her ear.

Emma screamed Regina’s name as the orgasm washed through her body. For minutes her body was taut and then felt limply against Regina. Regina removed her fingers from Emma’s cunt and held Emma tightly against her own body.

“Holy shit,” Emma breathed.

“You can say that,” Regina smiled.

“Did I pass?” Emma asked, looking aside at Regina.

Regina chuckled which reverberated through Emma. “Yes,” she said.

“Good,” Emma sighed. “Moving is exhausting.”

Regina laughed out loud at that, moving to lay down. Emma curled up next to her and Regina pushed some stubborn hairs behind Emma’s ear.

“I can’t believe I’m going to wake up next to this view every day for the rest of my life,” Regina breathed.

“You better get used to it, because I’m not going anywhere,” Emma replied.

“Idiot.”

“Dork.”

Regina smirked and kissed her fiancée deeply, feeling so lucky and safe.

~~~

The sudden ring of the doorbell made Aurora look up. She frowned, she didn’t expect anyone and Mulan was at work.

She stood up from the table she had been working on and walked to the door. Standing on her tippy toes, she looked through the looking glass and gasped when she saw who it was. She opened the door to reveal her mother.

“Mom?” she asked incredulously, then looked around the corner to see if her father was there as well.

“He doesn’t know I’m here,” Leah said, she looked skittish.

“Come in,” Aurora said and stepped aside to let her mother in.

“Thank you,” Leah said and stepped inside.

Aurora closed the door behind them and looked at her mother. She looked so small and frightened, yet Aurora had a hard time finding sympathy for her. She hadn’t stopped her father for kicking her out and disowning her. She hadn’t done a bloody thing.

“What are you doing here?” Aurora asked harshly.

“I wanted to know if you’re okay,” Leah said, looking up at her with pleading eyes.

“I got kicked out weeks ago,” Aurora reminded her.

“I know,” Leah whispered. “I’m sorry.”

Aurora sighed and motioned for her mother to walk into the living room. “Can I get you anything to drink?” she asked.

“Water, please.”

Aurora nodded and walked into the kitchen to grab her mother a glass of water. She walked into the living room and handed the glass to her mother. Aurora sat down in the chair across from her mother.

“So he doesn’t know you’re here?” she asked.

Leah shook her head. “I told him I was going out with some friends from church.”

Aurora chuckled dryly, she recognised the excuses. “What brings you really here?” she asked.

“I want you to know that I don’t agree with your father. Okay, I’m not happy with the fact that you’re… gay, but you’re still my daughter,” Leah said, her voice suddenly stronger.

Aurora swallowed, she hadn’t expected this. “Thank you, Mom,” she said softly.

“He shouldn’t have done that,” Leah added. “And that’s why I came to see if you’re okay.”

“I am, Mom,” Aurora told her. “I’m finally free.”

Leah smiled. “I can see that. You’re different. You are glowing.”

Aurora smirked. “Love tends to do that.”

Leah nodded, emptied her glass and stood up. “I should go,” she said. “I need to be back on time or he’ll get suspicious,” she added.

Aurora stood up. “You should leave him, Mom,” she tried.

Leah shook her head. “Despite what you think, he does love me and I love him,” she said.

She gave Aurora a hug and walked out of the room. Aurora was about to go after her, but then she heard the front door close.

Aurora swallowed thickly, emotions were suddenly overwhelming her. She knew her mother was trapped in an abusive relationship and there was nothing she could do. Aurora walked to the window and saw her mother crossing the street, her head tucked down. Aurora sighed, knowing she would probably never see her mother again. If she ever dared to set a foot in that village, her father would kill her. Aurora turned away from the room, there was no use in getting down about this. At least her mother didn’t resent her and somehow, that calmed her. Aurora sat down in front of the laptop again and continued her search for a job.

~~~

Nervously, Ruby walked up and down a dark Woody’s. The pub had been closed for a few weeks now as August had opened up his restaurant and didn’t have time to keep the pub running.

“Will you stop pacing?” Zelena asked from the bar, she was twirling a glass between her fingers.

Ruby turned around to face. “You did tell them to come here, right?” she asked.

“I did,” Zelena assured her. “Now sit your arse down, you’re making me nervous.”

Ruby huffed and walked over to Zelena. Behind her, the door opened and Emma and Regina entered the pub.

“Hey,” Zelena greeted them.

“Hey,” Regina said, frowning.

“What’s going on here?” Emma asked.

Ruby glanced at Zelena, who nodded at her reassuringly. “You know that August has been having trouble finding a replacement to run the pub, right?” she asked.

“Yeah,” Emma nodded.

“Well, he found one,” Zelena said behind Ruby with a smirk.

Emma frowned, looking back Ruby. “You?” she asked surprised.

“Yeah,” Ruby nodded. “I’ve always wanted to run a pub,” she said. “And I’ve got the papers for it,” she added.

“Ruby,” Emma stopped her with a smile. “I think you’re perfect for it.”

A smile broke on Ruby’s face, her eyes glimmering with joy. “Really?”

“Yeah,” Emma nodded. “And I can help too. I’m still a partner.”

Ruby smirked and hugged Emma. “I’m so glad to hear that.”

“Were you actually nervous about this?” Emma teased her.

“Yeah, of course,” Ruby exclaimed. “What if you didn’t want to work with me?”

“We play ice hockey together,” Emma said. “How hard can working with you be?”

Ruby chuckled and nodded. “True.”

“So, when do you want to open?” Emma asked.

“As soon as possible, but I do want to ask Regina to help me redecorate?” Ruby asked, looking at Regina.

“What? You don’t like this cosy little dump?” Regina smirked.

Ruby chuckled. “I do, but I think there's room for improvement.”

“Agreed,” Regina said and Ruby motioned for her to follow her to the little office.

Emma walked over to Zelena and sat down next to her. “Already missing your little apartment here?” Zelena teased her.

“Hell no,” Emma chuckled. “That apartment doesn’t have your sister,” she smirked.

Zelena nodded, smiling. “Remember that conversation we had after your little stunt?”

Emma sighed and nodded. “Yes. And I need to thank you for that. Without you, I would have given up for sure.”

“I know. And you’re welcome,” Zelena said.

Emma smirked and looked sideways at Zelena. “We've both changed so much,” she said.

“That we have,” Zelena agreed. “But for the better.”

“For the better.”

Regina came walking out of the office and looked suspiciously at Emma and her sister. “What are you two talking about?” she wanted to know.

“You!” sounded from two mouths.

Regina chuckled and shook her head. “Of course,” she said. “Emma, are you coming? We need to get going if we want to make it in time,” she added.

“Yeah.” Emma jumped from the stool and nodded at Zelena. “Thanks again.”

“Any time,” Zelena winked.

As they walked to the door, Regina asked, “Thanks for what?”

“Wouldn’t you like to know?” Emma grinned before the door fell close behind them.

Zelena watched them go with a smile and looked up at her girlfriend. “And?” she asked.

“Regina is going to help,” Ruby smiled.

“Of course she is,” Zelena said and stood up. “Ready to go? I think Belle is waiting for us.”

Ruby nodded, gathered her stuff and hand in hand she walked out to door with Zelena. Ruby locked up and they walked briskly to the little bistro where they would meet Belle.

~~~

Mulan closed the door behind her and found Aurora sitting at the table with the laptop in front of her. She walked over and kissed the top of her head. Aurora looked up and smiled.

“Hey,” Aurora said.

“Hey,” Mulan replied. “Any luck?” she asked.

“Not really. Employers don’t actually like big holes in a resume,” she answered and stretched out.

“I’m sorry, babe,” Mulan said as she sat across from Aurora.

Aurora shrugged as she closed the laptop. “It’s okay,” she said. “I’ll find something suited for me.”

“I bet you will. And you can always apply at my work,” Mulan offered.

“I know,” Aurora nodded. “But I’m not healed enough to help other women.”

Mulan nodded. “I get that. How was the rest of your day?” she asked, steering away from the touchy subject.

“Surprising,” Aurora chuckled. “My mother came over to visit.”

Mulan’s eyes went wide with surprise. “Really? What did she want?”

“To see if I was okay,” Aurora said. “And to tell me she doesn’t agree with my dad. That I’m still her daughter.”

“Wow,” Mulan breathed.

Aurora nodded. “Yeah. My dad didn’t know she came here. I don’t think he would have let her come if he knew,” she mused.

Mulan shook her head. “I’m quite certain.”

“I asked her to leave him, but she told me he loves her and she loves him,” Aurora went on. “I think she’s already given up on freedom.”

Mulan reached for Aurora’s hand and held it in hers.

“I’m sorry,” she said.

Aurora took a deep breath. “I think she gave up a long ago. I’ve never remembered her differently. She was always like this, like she was already done with living. I don’t think anyone can save her anymore.”

“Some people are too far gone,” Mulan nodded. “I’m so sorry.”

“It’s okay,” Aurora said. “I know she tries in her way. She’s still here, so she hasn’t completely given up.”

“That is true,” Mulan smiled. “I’m glad you got to see her.”

“Me too,” Aurora replied and looked up at Mulan. “Hey, I was thinking, take out and a movie tonight?” she suggested.

“Sounds like a splendid idea,” Mulan agreed. “You won’t believe what kind of day I had.”

Mulan started to tell her all about her day while Aurora grabbed the take out menu. She listened to Mulan tell about her day and she couldn’t help but smile. She walked over to Mulan, took her face in her hands and kissed her.

“What was that for?” Mulan asked. “Not that I’m complaining,” she added with a smirk.

“Because I am so happy to have you in my life,” Aurora said.

“Me too,” Mulan smiled and kissed Aurora again.

They ordered take out a bit later than planned…

~~~

Emma and Regina sat down in the gymnasium where the e-hockey game was held. It wasn’t very crowded, mostly parents from the kids who were playing.

“I’ve never been to any of these,” Emma said. “Have you?”

Regina shook her head. “No. Henry hasn’t been at this school for very long,” she explained.

“I see,” Emma nodded.

The teams gathered on the field. Each team had five players on the field, Henry played left wing. He looked very serious as he listened to the referee. The game was about to start and Henry went up for the power struggle. He won the puck and raced off. He maneuvered around the other wheelchair but got hit on his right side. He lost the puck and, annoyed, drove after the person who stole the puck.

“Holy shit, are they allowed to do that?” Regina asked concerned.

“Apparently,” Emma said. “Rough sport.”

Regina chuckled. “I wonder whom he got that from.”

Emma chuckled as well. “Well, you raised him.”

Regina gave her a playful push. Their attention got pulled back to the game, the other team had scored. Henry looked like he was out for blood and asked for the ball. He had enough strength left to hold a stick and he received the ball on his stick. He drove forward, dodging the other players. He fooled the goalie and scored the first point. With a huge smirk on his face, he drove back. Emma and Regina cheered loudly, not caring other parents were looking at them.

They sat back down and Regina glanced at Emma.

“I bet they’ve never been to an ice hockey game,” she chuckled.

“I’m quite sure of it,” Emma laughed.

They looked back at the game where the other team tried to score again. The goalie from Henry’s team stopped the ball and passed it to another player. They sped away, Henry followed them. Another goal was scored and once again Emma and Regina cheered. Now Henry looked up and he smirked. Regina waved at him and Henry only shook his head. The referee whistled for the break and Emma and Regina walked down to the field.

“Hey, you guys made it,” Henry smirked.

“Yeah, couldn’t you hear it?” Emma teased him.

Henry shook his head. “You do know this is not ice hockey, right? This is a civilised sport,” he said, his eyes were shining with mischief.

“Civilised?” Regina repeated. “Did you tell that to the kid who hit you too?” she asked.

Henry laughed. “You’re right. We are savages. But we’re already disabled, how much more worse can it get?”

Emma laughed out loud at that, while Regina scowled at him. “Don’t say that, Henry,” she said.

Henry shrugged. “It was a joke, Mom.”

Regina shook her head. “You’re the worst.”

“Actually, we are winning at the moment. So we are the best,” he smirked, sticking out his tongue.

“Henry!”

Henry looked up and saw his coach was waving at him. “I’ve got to go,” he said, already driving off.

“Okay, good luck!” Regina called after him.

“Thanks!”

Emma and Regina walked back to their spots and sat down. “I think we need to tone it down a bit,” Emma chuckled. “Henry will die of embarrassment.”

“Yeah,” Regina agreed. “Civilised sport, my ass,” she huffed.

“The kid's got balls,” Emma said. “I don’t think I would dare to play in a chair. You are much more vulnerable.”

Regina nodded. “Why I hesitated in the first place. But I kind of thought that was selfish as ice hockey isn’t very safe either. And it’s good for him, he really likes it.”

“Yeah, that shows,” Emma agreed.

They watched him laugh with his teammates. Regina frowned as she saw him wave at someone in the crowd on the other side. It was a girl who waved back.

“Is he waving at a girl?” she asked Emma, who had seen it too.

“It appears so,” Emma nodded.

Regina took a deep breath, not sure what she should think of this. The game started again and, once again, Henry won the puck. He passed it to one of his teammates and drove forward to help out. Another goal was scored for Henry’s team and Emma and Regina cheered a bit softer for Henry’s sake. Emma could see they were infecting other parents as they cheered along. She smirked, she liked it. The other team advanced towards the goal and managed to score. Henry was passed the ball and he raced forward. Just before the goal, he passed the ball backwards and his teammate behind him scored.

“That’s one of our moves!” Regina exclaimed.

“It was and it worked,” Emma smirked. “Smart kid.”

Regina smirked widely, she was so proud. The second period ended and Emma and Regina decided to stay seated. They needed to give Henry space. He waved at them as he grabbed his water bottle. Both Emma and Regina stuck up their thumbs.

“Is that your kid?” a parent in front of them asked.

“Yes,” Regina answered.

“He’s very good,” the parent said. “They’ve never actually won a game this season,” he told them.

“Really? Wow,” Regina said and glanced at Emma. “Sounds familiar.”

Emma chuckled and shook her head.

“Is he staying with the team?” the parent asked. “Tim told me this was his try-out.”

“If the coach wants him to stay, I think he will stay,” Regina replied. “Hockey is, after all, in his blood.”

“Your husband plays too?” the parent asked, he had turned around in his seat now.

“No,” Regina said patiently. “I play ice hockey and so does his birth mother,” she explained as she motioned at Emma.

“Wait, now I see it,” the parent smiled. “You're Regina Mills, from our national team. And you're Emma Swan,” he said, his face lit up.

“We are,” Emma nodded.

“Wow. Congratulations,” the man smiled at them.

“Thank you.”

The game started up again and it was clear Henry’s team was stronger. They managed to score twice before the game ended and in a festive mood, the team celebrated. Emma and Regina made their way to Henry. The girl that had waved at him was talking with him and walked away with a wave when she saw Emma and Regina approaching.

“Congratulations, kid!” Emma smiled at him and hugged him.

“Thank you,” he beamed. “This was actually our first win.”

“So I’ve heard,” Regina smiled and hugged him.

“Miss Mills?” Henry’s coach approached them with a smile.

“Yes, that’s me,” Regina said, looking up.

“Henry did very well today,” he told them. “I would very much like to have Henry on my team.”

“That is up to Henry, I think,” Regina said as she looked at Henry. “Do you want to be on the team?” she asked him.

“I would love to,” Henry beamed.

“Welcome to the team then,” the coach beamed. “I’ll give you a call later this week about everything,” he said.

“Okay, I’ll look forward to it,” Regina smiled.

“Come on, I want to show Emma my dorm room,” Henry said excitedly.

They walked out of the gymnasium with Henry, listening to him talk enthusiastically about the game. He quickly showed them around the school and they ended up at the room he shared with another boy his age. The boy wasn’t present, so they had some space for themselves.

“So, who was that girl you were talking with?” Regina tried to ask innocently.

Emma shot her a glance and Regina shrugged helplessly.

“Violet,” Henry said, avoiding his mother’s glance. “She’s just a friend,” he immediately said. “Don’t get any crazy ideas.”

Emma laughed and Regina shook her head. “I wasn’t planning on it. But you two looked pretty close,” she said.

“That’s because she’s a really good friend,” Henry huffed.

“Okay,” Regina nodded, a knowing smile played around her mouth.

“I’m going to see if I can find something to drink for us, okay?” he said and drove off.

“I think he has a crush,” Emma laughed as soon as Henry had left the room.

Regina nodded. “And it’s quite obvious.”

“Poor lad,” Emma chuckled. “He will find out in due time,” she added.

“Yeah. Come, let’s see if we can help him,” Regina said.

Emma nodded and followed her love out of the dorm room…


	20. Back To Normal

The weather was still cruelly cold and wet, even though it was March already. Emma shivered in her coat as she waited for Regina to hand her her duffel bag from the trunk of the car. They were parked at the ice rink in London.

“It feels kind of weird coming back here after everything,” Emma said as they walked to the building in front of them.

“Yeah, I agree,” Regina nodded. “It feels like coming home and not at the same time.”

They walked through the double doors and made their way to the locker room. Regina opened the door and let Emma in first.

“Here they are!” someone shouted.

Regina stepped inside and applause went up. Emma smirked and Regina looked around a bit uncomfortable.

“Thank you, that’s very sweet,” Regina smiled at them.

“We are so proud of you,” Zoey said. “We saw every match and we're happy to have you on our team.”

“I bet the other teams are shaking in their skates,” Kim joked, coming over to hug Emma and Regina.

“Don’t forget the other teams also have members of the national team,” Regina reminded them.

“But none of them are as bad-ass as you two,” Janice smirked.

Regina shook her head with a smile. She found an empty spot on the bench, Emma sat down next to her.

“As I said, weird,” Emma whispered.

Regina nodded, she had never experienced it like this either. The door swung open again and Ruby and Zelena entered the locker room. Another applause went up and Zelena and Ruby were engulfed in hugs and congratulations. Finally, they broke free and ended up next to Emma and Regina.

“That was crazy!” Ruby exclaimed.

“I know, right?” Emma agreed as she watched the team.

Mulan was the last of the Olympians to enter the locker room and she got the same treatment. Laughing, she underwent it and looked over at Regina for help. Regina just shrugged and Mulan finally managed to get free. They all changed quickly into their gear and hit the ice.

“Did Aurora go back to her old team?” Emma asked Mulan.

Mulan shook her head. “No, she quit. Bad memories and all,” Mulan said.

“Maybe she should try out here?” Emma offered.

“That’s a good idea, I’ll tell her that,” Mulan nodded.

George whistled and the team gathered around him. “First of all, welcome back to our Olympian players. We are very proud of all of you,” he said.

“Yeah, we noticed,” Ruby deadpanned and a fit of laughter went up.

“Good,” George smiled. “But now it’s back to business. We are almost at the end of the season and we are on the list to be promoted. We do need to win the next few games to secure that promotion. So, let’s go train!”

He whistled again and had them skate rounds to warm up. Emma and Regina skated behind everyone else, it was a good way to get used to the tempo again. The tempo was considerably slower than the National team, but they didn’t really mind.

“Where’s Hans?” Regina asked.

Emma shrugged. “No idea. Maybe he has too much homework.”

Regina nodded. “How is he doing?” she asked.

“Good,” Emma replied. “No more trouble, as far as I know.”

“Ah, that’s good. The boy deserves a break,” Regina said with a smile, she had grown fond of him.

“That he does,” Emma said.

George whistled and pointed at Emma and Regina. “Less talking, more skating!” he called at them.

“He's starting to look like Killian,” Regina chuckled.

Yet they listened and finished the warming up in silence. George had them do some stick handling exercises, penalties and he ended the training with a scrimmage. He separated the Olympian players to make it a fair game and Emma ended up playing against Regina. Even though it was supposed to be a friendly scrimmage, it ended in a heated game. George whistled the end of the scrimmage and training when he thought it was enough. Gasping and exhausted, the team retreated back to the locker room.

“Regina, Zelena,” George called the two sisters back. They stopped and skated over towards George. Emma and Ruby hung back, waiting for their significant other. “As you know, the season is almost done. I already know a few girls are going to quit and Zelena, you have to stop soon, right?” he asked, motioning at her grown belly.

“Yeah,” Zelena nodded.

“We need new blood,” he said. “Last time you did an amazing job. Want to do it again?” he asked.

Zelena glanced aside at Regina and rubbed her belly. “I think I have to decline. I’m getting pretty busy with the little one,” she said apologetically.

“Yeah, I get that,” George nodded and smiled softly. He liked Zelena and thought motherhood would look good on her. “You are coming back to the team, right?” he asked.

“Of course,” Zelena smiled.

“I want to do the recruitment job,” Regina said. “Maybe Emma wants to help me.”

Emma heard her name and skated it over to them. “I heard my name,” she smirked.

“Were your ears burning, dear?” Regina smiled smugly. “Anyway, George asked me and Zelena to pick up recruitment again, but Zelena is… otherwise occupied. I thought maybe you and I could do it?” she proposed.

“Yeah, sounds like fun,” Emma reacted enthusiastically.

“Well, it’s settled then,” George smiled. “I’ll get you the information packs.”

“Awesome.”

Regina, Emma, and Zelena skated off towards the locker room, Ruby joined them as well and they disappeared off the ice. George watched after them, he was glad they were back with the pack.

~~~

It was six months later, the Streatham Storm had indeed been promoted and Emma and Regina were standing in front of a filled auditorium with potential new players. Emma had spotted Aurora among them and she was glad Aurora had come. It would have been a waste if she had stopped playing, she was really good.

“Welcome, everyone, to our recruitment talk,” Regina started. “You being here means you are really interested in playing and that is awesome. Let me ask, who of you came here today because of the Olympic Games?” Several hands went up and Regina smiled. “That’s what I thought. Emma and I,” she motioned to the blonde standing behind her, “Were both at the Olympic Games this year and let me tell you, it was very special to be there. So, it is not so far-fetched that you'll be there some day as well if you're willing to work hard and dedicate your life to this amazing sport,” Regina concluded her talk.

Emma started the promotion movie and Regina came walking back. Emma looked up at her with a smirk. “You were on fire,” she said.

Regina shrugged. “I felt inspired,” she replied.

“I noticed,” Emma chuckled. She looked out at the crowd, who were looking enthralled at the movie. “I can still remember the day I walked into this very room for the recruitment,” she mused.

“Me too,” Regina said. “I was so pissed off at Zelena that she had roped me into this.”

“Yeah, I remember that too,” Emma replied. “You really looked pissed.”

“Sorry,” Regina said. “I do remember you being there, by the way, with Tessa.”

Emma groaned. “She hated it. She completely tore the presentation down later that night.”

“I’m glad you got rid of her,” Regina smiled.

Emma nodded and was about to reply, but the movie was done and Emma walked forward. “As you can see, ice hockey can be dangerous and you need to think it through if you really want to do this. Besides that, it’s a very fun game to play. We always have loads of fun,” she told them. “The sign-up sheet is right over here and if you have questions, please ask them.”

People stood up and walked over to the table. A few had questions and Regina answered them. Not everyone signed up and Emma thanked them for coming. At the end, Aurora appeared at the table with a smirk.

“Hey,” Regina greeted her. “Glad you could make it.”

“I had to, or Mulan would have chased me down,” Aurora joked and signed up. “Let’s see if I still have it,” she winked. “I haven’t really trained these past few months.”

“You can train with us if you want?” Emma suggested. “I go for a run every morning.”

Aurora nodded. “I think that’s a good idea. I’ll text you.”

“Awesome,” Emma smiled. “See you at the tryout.”

“See you there,” Aurora winked and walked off.

“I’m glad to see she’s doing okay,” Regina smiled as she took the sign up sheet.

It was almost full and Regina folded it up to put it in her bag. Emma looked around the room and sighed.

“I don’t really like this part of the recruitment talk,” she said.

“Who does,” Regina replied as she started to gather their stuff.

Emma chuckled and started helping Regina. Together they cleaned up fairly quickly and were soon walking out of the building with all of their stuff.

“I don’t think we need to organise another talk,” Emma mused.

“No, we’ve already got a good bunch,” Regina agreed and stepped into the car. “Can’t wait to be home,” she said.

Emma had already gotten in and bowed over to Regina to give her a kiss. “Me neither.”

Regina smiled, started the car and drove off…

~~~

A bit nervous, Belle walked into Woody’s. She knew it would be calm around this time of day and she needed to talk to Ruby and Zelena. Over the past months, they had been going out and it was bordering on dating. Belle had thought a great deal about this, as she liked both Ruby and Zelena, but she wasn’t sure how this would work. She knew they were in an open relationship, she just wasn’t sure if they would want a third person in this relationship.

“Belle!” Ruby exclaimed as soon as she saw the brunette. “What a nice surprise.”

She walked from behind the bar and greeted Belle with a hug and a kiss.

“Hey,” Belle smiled. “I wanted to talk with you and Zelena. Is she around?” she asked.

“She is,” Ruby nodded. “Just resting upstairs. I’ll go get her.”

Ruby disappeared into the kitchen and Belle sat down at the bar. Regina had done a tremendous job with the pub, it wasn’t as dark as it used to be and yet it was still very cosy. Belle fidgeted with the beer mat on the bar, waiting for Ruby to return with Zelena. Soon she heard footsteps coming down the stairs and perked up.

“Hello Belle,” Zelena greeted her and walked around the bar to come and hug her.

Zelena’s belly had grown full size, as she was seven months pregnant. Belle hugged her back and kissed her.

“Hey,” she smiled. “I’m glad you’re here,” she said and sat down again.

“What’s up?” Zelena asked.

“Well, there is something I would like to discuss with the both of you,” Belle started.

Zelena and Ruby glanced at each other. “Okay,” Ruby said.

“The thing is, we’ve been going out for some time now and I have been thinking about it a lot. I love you both,” Belle continued, she was getting more nervous by the minute. “And I know you two have an open relationship, but I was wondering if you two would consider adding me to the relationship?” Belle asked, eyes cast down.

Zelena smiled, she and Ruby had been discussing this option as well, as they both had grown very fond of Belle. They had talked about asking Belle what she wanted, so this was coming as a surprise.

“We would love that,” Ruby smiled.

Belle’s head shot up at that. “Really?” she asked.

“Really,” Zelena smiled. “Because we both love you too and would want to have you in our life.”

Belle’s face split in a huge smile and hugged Zelena. Then she went over to Ruby and hugged her as well. “I was so nervous,” she admitted.

“Why?” Ruby laughed. “You're silly,” she added and softly kissed Belle.

Belle melted into her, wrapping her arms around Ruby’s waist. “Because I was afraid you two didn’t love me as much as I do.”

Zelena walked up to them and joined in the hug. “But we do,” she said.

“And I’m glad for that,” Belle smiled. She rubbed Zelena’s belly. “The kid is going to have one special family,” she said.

“That is for sure,” Zelena smiled.

Zelena kissed Belle and thought of how lucky she was to have these two amazing women in her life. She used to feel so alone when she was younger and now she was having a family of her own. Ruby rubbed her back and Zelena sighed contently, this was perfect…

~~~

Emma and Regina were already setting up a parkour on the ice in preparation for the try out later that evening. Proudly, Emma looked at the parkour and nodded satisfied. Regina stopped next to her.

“I think that will do,” she said.

“I think so too,” Emma agreed. “Come, let’s grab something warm to drink.”

They left the ice and removed their skates. They walked up to the restaurant, they had another hour spare. Regina settled at a table near the window while Emma got their drinks. Emma returned with a steaming hot tea for Regina and hot cocoa for herself. Regina smiled when she saw it.

“You're like a child,” she teased.

Emma shrugged. “Keeps you young,” she smirked.

“I suppose,” Regina chuckled. “Ready for your first recruitment?” she asked.

“I guess so,” Emma smiled and grabbed Regina’s hand.

She admired the ring on Regina’s hand, she was still glad she had popped the question.

“I can’t wait to be your wife,” Regina whispered.

“Me neither,” Emma replied. “You will be soon.”

“Hey lovebirds!”

They looked up and spotted Mulan and Aurora walking over to them with a big smile. They joined them at the table and Aurora set down her duffel bag.

“Hey, you’re early,” Emma said.

“Yeah, Mulan wanted to show me around,” Aurora smiled.

“Ah, I see,” Emma nodded. “Well, welcome to the home of the Streatham Storm,” she smiled.

“Thank you,” Aurora smiled. “It looks amazing.”

“Thanks,” Regina smiled. “I helped to redesign it.”

“Of course you did,” Emma smirked. “Anyway, are you excited?” she asked Aurora.

“Yes! I miss playing,” Aurora told her. “And here I can start fresh.”

“Totally,” Emma nodded.

“That is if you make the cut,” Regina teased.

Aurora flipped her off. “I’ll just have to do my best then.”

They eased into an easy conversation until it was time to go. They wanted to be back on the ice before the first recruits showed up. Emma would help out in the locker room and hand out gear. Aurora had walked past her and pulled on her own gear, Emma only handed her an older jersey.

“Good luck,” she had winked.

“Thanks,” Aurora had beamed.

The recruits entered the locker room and Emma helped them out with the gear until everyone was ready to go. George had arrived as well to help out as he had the last say. The recruits entered the ice and Regina explained what they were going to do: skating and getting comfortable with the gear, stick handling, shooting the puck and a scrimmage. George stepped up and blew his whistle. They started to skate and Emma watched them go. Most of them were uncomfortable at the seemingly big skates and Emma could still remember the feeling. Her skates had also felt too big back then. She smiled when Aurora passed her, skating at ease. Emma had very good faith she would make the cut, Aurora would definitely be an asset to the team.

“There are a few talents here,” Regina observed.

Emma had to agree, more and more were getting comfortable on their skates. George whistled again and Regina and Emma dragged the box with sticks out of the storage. They handed out sticks and George explained the next exercise. They were to skate through the parkour with a puck on their stick. Emma emptied the box with pucks on the ice and everyone picked up a stick. George whistled again and they went through the parkour. Aurora went up first and sailed through it, this was an easy exercise for her.

“Isn’t she on the national team as well?” George asked.

“Yeah,” Emma said. “But she quit playing at her old team. So that’s why she’s trying out here.”

“That explains it,” George chuckled. “She’s very good.”

“She is,” Regina agreed.

At last, every recruit had gone through the parkour. George called them back and explained the next exercise. They were to shoot a puck into the goal as hard and accurate as they could. Emma volunteered to be the goalie to make it a bit harder. As she was standing in the goal and trying to stop the pucks, she realised why she didn’t want to be a goalie. There was no fun in getting shot at. At the end, Emma left the goal sore and bruised.

“Are you okay?” Regina chuckled.

“Yeah,” Emma nodded. “Remind me next time not to do that again,” she groaned.

They gathered the pucks and watched George explain the last exercise, a scrimmage. He divided them into two teams and neither Emma nor Regina needed to step in to complete a team. George whistled and they started to play. George skated over to Emma and Regina.

“Any ideas who we should select?” he asked.

“Definitely Aurora,” Emma said. “And those two.” She pointed at the two women that were fighting over the puck. “And we need a new goalie,” she added.

George nodded, he had made up his mind as well. The scrimmage went on, it turned into a real power struggle. Lots of ladies had potential, but there was only room for four new players. Finally, George whistled the end of the scrimmage and they gathered around him.

“Well done everyone,” he said. “Before I go on, is there anyone that has second thoughts?” he asked. No hands were raised, but Emma saw a few doubting. “Very well. I will no longer keep you hanging in suspension. Based on the performance today I would like to welcome the following four to the team: Hannah, Aurora, Ashley, and Quincy. The rest of you, well done. Be certain to keep training and maybe we’ll see you back next year.”

Applause went up and Emma and Regina congratulated the new members. Aurora was the last one and she smirked.

“Mulan is going to be over the moon,” she beamed.

“Aren’t you?” Regina asked surprised.

“Of course I am,” Aurora said. “I can’t wait to play with you again.”

“Awesome,” Regina smiled. “See you at training.”

Aurora waved and left the ice to get changed. “I hope she doesn’t get shit from the others that she made the team cause she had an advantage on them by being a member of the Olympic team,” Emma mused.

“I don’t think so, she earned it fair and square,” Regina said.

“True, but she already has the experience,” Emma argued.

“She’ll be fine. Come, help me out,” Regina motioned to Emma to help her clean up.

Emma started to pick up the cones while Regina gathered the pucks and put them back in the box. Soon the ice was cleared and Emma and Regina left the ice as well, happy to have four new members to their team.

~~~

It was a few days later when Emma walked into Henry’s room to put away his clothes. Henry was working on his computer and looked up. He watched as Emma put away his clothes and turned around.

“Emma?” he asked.

“Yes?” she responded, turning to face him.

“Can I ask you something?” he asked, his voice sounded insecure.

Emma sat down on his bed and looked up at him. “Anything.”

He took a deep breath before he looked up at Emma. “Do you remember Violet?” he asked.

“Yeah, your friend from school,” she nodded.

“Yeah,” he nodded. “How… How can you tell if someone likes you?” he asked softly.

Emma rubbed her nose to try and hide her laugh. “Uhm, good question,” she said. “Does she give any hints?” she asked.

“Well, we always hang out during lunch and, don’t tell mom, but we skipped Math last week,” he giggled.

“Did you now?” Emma scowled. “And what did you do?” she prodded.

“We just went for a walk, talked about Marvel,” he told her.

“She’s into Marvel?” Emma said surprised. “Go get her,” she winked.

Henry chuckled. “I want to, but I don’t know how,” he admitted.

“I see,” Emma nodded. “How about you ask her to come watch a movie? Ask her on a date.”

“But what if she doesn’t like me like that?” he asked, sounding insecure again.

“I think she does, kid,” Emma winked.

Henry nodded thoughtfully. “I’m going to ask her if she wants to come over for a movie,” he smiled. “Or! We could go to the movies, there’s a new Marvel movie coming out,” he beamed.

“Even better,” Emma smiled.

“Thanks, Emma,” he beamed.

“Anytime,” she said.

She stood up and left him alone. She walked into the kitchen where Regina was preparing dinner.

“Was there something wrong?” she asked.

“No,” Emma said. “We only had a little chat,” she explained while peeking into the pan.

“About?” Regina asked curiously.

“Wouldn’t you like to know?” Emma teased her. “No, I think he realised he has a crush on that girl from his school,” she said.

“Really?” Regina asked surprised. “That took him a while.”

Emma chuckled. “Give him some space,” she winked. “Anyway, he is going to ask her out on a date.”

“And you agree with that?” Regina asked.

“Of course,” Emma nodded. “He is a boy and they tend to get interested in girls eventually.”

Regina sighed. “I know. I had just hoped it would take a bit longer. He’s still my little boy.”

“I know,” Emma said and hugged Regina from behind. “He will still be even if he starts dating.”

Regina nodded and kissed Emma. “I’m glad you’re here,” she said.

“Me too,” Emma said and let go of Regina.

Without much interest, she went through the mail that lay on the kitchen table.

“Oh, there is one for you,” Regina said as she saw Emma was leafing through it.

Emma found it and opened it. She read it quickly and frowned. “I need to appear in court,” she said.

“What?” Regina turned around surprised. “Why?”

“Because of Paddy,” Emma replied and handed her the letter.

“Shit,” Regina whispered. “So the nightmare isn’t finished then.”

Emma shook her head and took back the letter. She read it again and sighed. She wondered if Hans had to appear as well and she grabbed her phone. Quickly she dialled her parent’s number and waited for it to be picked up.

“Hey mom, it’s me. Is Hans there?” she asked as she looked up at Regina, worry shining through her eyes…

~~~

Emma gasped for air. She had been afraid that playing with the Streatham Storm would be a bit dull after the Olympics, but she was mistaken. George was running them hard, as the first game of the new season was approaching. Emma saw the rest was having a hard time too.

“Damn,” Regina gasped next to her. “Do you think he called Killian or something?”

“Wouldn’t surprise me,” Emma groaned and pushed herself off the boarding.

They had been going for more than an hour and George had just ordered them to do another ten rounds to cool down. Emma started to drag her legs and luckily her muscles took over. She started to skate the ten rounds with Regina next to her.

“I don’t think I will be able to get up tomorrow,” Hannah complained before her.

“Already regretting joining?” Regina asked.

“Hell no,” Hannah smirked as she looked behind her at Regina. “I love it. But I don’t think I will tomorrow.”

Finally, George let them go. As the team left the ice, George asked Regina and Emma to come see him. They skated over to him and hung against the boarding.

“Are you two still alive?” he teased.

Regina flipped him off as she looked up at him. “What’s up?” she asked.

“We have our first game against the Bracknell Firebees,” he told them.

“Of course we do,” Regina groaned. “I’ll start working on the game plan,” she said.

“Okay, great,” George nodded. “Now, get out of here. You smell,” he joked.

Together they skated away towards the locker room. When they arrived it was almost empty, only a few women were left. Emma started stripping out of her gear and skates and walked over to the shower. The shower was filled with steam but otherwise deserted. Emma walked over to one of the showers and turned it on. Warm water hit her skin and she moaned, she would be so sore tomorrow. Suddenly, Regina’s face appeared before her through the steam and two hands glided over her stomach and up to her shoulders. Emma smiled and reached her arms up to wrap them around Regina’s neck.

“Hi,” Emma said.

“Hey,” Regina purred in her ear.

Regina let her hand slide over Emma’s wet body, brushing her nipples and slowly gliding over Emma’s abs. Regina felt how the muscles reacted underneath her fingers. Emma moaned and dipped her head back so she could kiss Regina.

“We’ve been in this position before,” Emma whispered.

“We have,” Regina purred. “I wanted to fuck you so bad then.”

“Why didn’t you?” Emma asked.

“No clue,” Regina replied before kissing Emma hard.

She pushed Emma against the cold tiles and slipped her hand in between Emma’s legs. Emma let one arm drop from Regina’s neck and brushed Regina’s nipple. Regina moaned at the sensation and moved a bit so Emma could move her hand in between their bodies. Her hand found their way in between Regina’s legs and she brushed Regina’s clit lightly. Regina jumped a bit and pushed down on Emma’s clit. Emma let out a guttural moan and let her fingers go down further until she was touching Regina’s entrance. Regina moved down further as well and entered Emma with two fingers. Emma followed her example rapidly and set the same pace as Regina did with her. Regina broke the kiss, desperate for air. Emma grabbed her neck tightly, as Regina slid her free arm around Emma’s lower back. Emma closed her eyes as she felt her orgasm coming, breathing heavily. She felt Regina was close as well and she opened her eyes again.

“Come for me,” Emma whispered.

Regina’s orgasm raced through her body and Emma followed very close after. They helped each other ride out their orgasm and Emma held Regina close to her.

“I shouldn’t have waited so long,” Regina breathed.

“No,” Emma chuckled. “And I shouldn’t have been such an idiot.”

“Agreed,” Regina said and kissed Emma again.


	21. A Haunting Past

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW: mention of child abuse

The first game of the season was here and Emma watched the new recruits nervously looking around. Only Aurora looked unimpressed and was joking around with Ruby and Mulan. Emma smirked, Aurora really had found her place in the team. Emma remembered meeting her for the first time and she had looked so different.

“Ready to shine?” Regina asked next to her.

“Yes,” Emma smiled. “Time to whoop Ella’s ass.”

Regina laughed. “Now that is a weird concept.”

“I agree,” Ruby interjected. “Hadn’t realised we were actually going to play against one of our teammates.”

“Welcome to the world of ice hockey,” Regina smirked.

They were called to the ice and they grabbed their sticks. Regina and Emma lead the team to the ice and the crowd went wild. Emma smiled, she had missed this. She looked behind her, the team was ready. They were playing without Zelena, she had officially taken her maternity leave. Yet Emma knew she was in the stands watching them. She was probably sitting with Henry and Emma’s parents.

The announcer enthusiastically introduced them, highlighting the players that had been at the Olympics. Emma had to be honest, she would be glad when all of that craziness died down, she just wanted to play. The other team entered the ice and Emma spotted Ella right away. They smirked at each other and Emma thought Ella must find it weird as well to play against them.

Once again, the announcer highlighted the players who were at the Olympics and it was only now that Emma realised Elsa was a part of the Bracknell Firebees as well. She sighed, this could be interesting.

Finally, it was time to play and Emma took up her position, right across from Elsa. Elsa smirked at her and Emma smirked back. Regina went up for the power struggle and won. The game was on and Emma shot forward. Annoyingly, Elsa kept following her, so Emma couldn’t really do much. Regina skated forward, dodging through the defence. She fooled the goalie and scored the first point. Emma cheered at stuck out her tongue at Elsa.

“I’ve got my eye on you, Swan,” Elsa called at her.

“Oooh, look at how afraid I am,” Emma called back, smirking widely.

The Bracknell Firebees had the puck and they stormed the defence. Emma had expected they would break on the defence, but they broke through with ease. They scored easily and Emma swore softly.

“Getting scared yet?” Elsa taunted.

Emma didn’t react and watched as Ruby passed the puck to Hannah. Hannah shot forward and passed the puck to Emma. Emma pushed roughly past Elsa and skated towards the goal. But before she could make the shot, she was tackled to the ground. She swirled around and found Ella on top of her.

“Hi Swan,” Ella smirked.

“Get off,” Emma said and pushed Ella off her.

Ella backed off and helped Emma to her feet. “Sorry,” she said.

“No worries,” Emma huffed and skated off.

She saw Regina had regained the puck back and signalled at Emma. Emma shot into action and followed Regina. Regina skated through the defence and passed the puck to Emma between her legs. Emma shot the puck through the middle of the goal while the goalie dove left. Emma cheered and skated back to her half.

“Are you okay?” Regina asked.

“I am,” Emma nodded. “I’ll get her back later.”

“Just keep it clean,” Regina said.

Emma nodded and saw Elsa coming with the puck. She smirked as she calculated Elsa’s move. But before she could attack, the referee whistled. The first period had ended. Satisfied, the Streatham Storm returned to the locker room.

“If we keep this up, we’re going to win,” Zoey smiled.

“If we keep it up,” Regina nodded. “But we’re doing a great job already,” she smiled.

The door of the locker room burst open and George came waltzing in. He had a big smile on his face as he looked at his team.

“You're on a roll,” he exclaimed.

“More like on ice,” Emma smirked.

Tiredly, George shot her a glance but a smile played around his mouth.

“Anyway, here’s the plan for the next period,” he said and he started to explain it.

Emma and Regina were benched, Quincy and Kim went in their place. Emma nodded, she needed some rest. George left the locker room and Emma saw Quincy looking nervous. Emma stood up and sat down next to Quincy.

“Hey, you’re going to do amazing,” she said to the younger woman.

Quincy was barely eighteen, but she was wickedly fast and had a sharp shot. Quincy glanced up, she looked really scared.

“What if they tackle me?” she asked with a soft voice.

“We taught you how to fall,” Emma told her. “Trust your instincts. Go out there and have fun, okay?”

Quincy nodded again and looked a bit more sure of herself. Emma stood up and walked back to Regina, who had watched the interaction.

“Is she going to be okay?” Regina asked concerned.

“She is,” Emma said confidently. “She got this.”

It was time to go back on the ice and Emma saw that Quincy took a deep breath before she stepped on the ice. Emma and Regina made their way to the bench and sat down. They watched the game go on and Emma saw Quincy slowly relaxing. She even got the puck a few times and assisted in a goal. Emma nodded, the girl would pull through. And if she kept playing like this, she might even make it to the national team. The Streatham Storm scored two more times and the Bracknell Firebees once. Emma saw the frustration with the other team and she smirked. She didn’t like the idea of Elsa and Ella losing, but she just had to get used to the fact that they were her opponents now and no longer her teammates.

“Feels weird to play against Elsa and Ella,” she said to Regina.

“Yeah,” Regina nodded. “Doesn’t feel right.”

Soon the second period was done as well and they retreated to the locker room. Emma and Regina entered last and the team was in a victorious mood. Emma chuckled at this but knew it had to be toned down a bit.

“Guys!” she yelled and the team toned down a bit. “Don’t celebrate too early, we still got one more period to go,” she told them.

“Careful, you’re starting to look like me,” Regina whispered in her ear.

Emma chuckled and looked aside at Regina. “Since when is that a bad thing?”

Regina smirked and kissed her, which earned them some cheering. Someone threw a towel at them and Regina broke the kiss.

“You’re all jealous,” she said with a smirk and sat down.

The door opened and George entered again. He looked satisfied and immediately started to explain the tactics for the last period. Emma and Regina were back on the ice again and Emma grabbed her helmet. She was ready to finish this. She felt the adrenaline pumping through her veins.

George left the locker room and someone tapped on her shoulder. Emma looked up and found Quincy standing next to her.

“You were right,” the younger woman said. “That was amazing.”

Emma smiled. “You did great.”

“Thank you,” Quincy beamed.

It was time to go back on the ice and Emma skated towards her position. She was glad Quincy had pulled through, she saw raw talent in that girl. Regina went up for the power struggle and won again. Emma shot forward, this time she had a different player in front of her. She didn’t mind, it made playing easier. Regina shot towards the goal but got intercepted. One of the Bracknell defence players skated off with the puck, but Emma tackled her. She regained the puck and skated towards the goal. Regina went with her and Emma passed her the puck to confuse the goalie. It worked and Regina scored their fifth point. Cheering, they skated back towards their half. Emma glanced at the clock and saw there were only four more minutes left. The Bracknell Firebees attacked their defence and broke through. Ruby tried to stop the puck but missed it. Emma shrugged, they could have that point. The remaining four minutes none of the teams scored again and the referee whistled the end of the game.

The Streatham Storm, victorious, skated around while the crowd cheered them on.

“Well played, Swan,” Ella said to her as they shook hands.

“Thanks,” Emma smiled. “This is so fucking weird.”

Ella chuckled. “Glad I’m not the only one.”

“Definitely not,” Emma said and let go of Ella.

She ended up in front of Elsa, who looked up at her with a smirk. “We both knew I would never be able to catch you,” she said.

“You came very close,” Emma winked. “Good to see you.”

“Likewise, Swan,” Elsa smiled.

Emma joined in the victory round and departed the ice together with her team.

“Well, that was an experience,” Ruby sighed. “Is it going to be like this every time we meet someone else from the national team?” she asked.

“I hope not,” Emma said. “But I’m afraid it will be.”

“Figured as much,” Ruby mumbled. “Oh well.”

“How is Zelena doing?” Emma asked.

“About to explode,” Ruby chuckled. “But she’s doing well. She even came to cheer us on along with Belle,” she said with a soft smile.

Zelena had filled Emma and Regina in on the situation with Belle. She had joined them in the relationship and, even though neither Emma nor Regina understood it completely, they had both seen how happy Zelena had looked when she told them.

“Oh cool. I hope they’re still around when we’re done here, I want to say hi,” Emma smiled.

“I’m sure they will,” Ruby said.

Soon they walked out of the locker room and Henry was waiting for them in the restaurant along with Mary Margaret, David, Hans, Zelena, and Belle.

“Hey,” Emma greeted her parents and Hans.

“You guys were amazing,” Henry beamed.

“Thanks,” Regina smiled. “But George asked us ‘Olympians’ not to show off like that again,” she chuckled.

“I wasn’t showing off,” Ruby protested. “Were you?” she asked Emma.

Emma shook her head with a laugh. “Nope.”

“See?” Ruby huffed and went over to Zelena.

Aurora and Mulan joined them too and Emma was glad to have gathered such a great family.

“Emma? Do you have a minute?” Hans asked, appearing next to her.

“Sure,” Emma nodded. They walked away from the group and out of the restaurant. “What’s up?” she asked.

“How big is the chance they will let Paddy go after the trial?” he asked scared.

Emma sighed, she had been thinking about it as well. She even had talked to Regina’s lawyer, and he had assured her that no matter what, Paddy was going to jail. There was more than enough evidence against him and, with Emma’s story, he would even stay behind bars for the rest of his life.

“Very slim,” Emma told him. “Yours and my story will be enough to lock him up for a long time.”

Hans nodded, but he still appeared very nervous. “I don’t know if I can face him,” he said.

“You don’t have to look at him,” Emma said.

“I know, but he will still be there,” he argued.

“I know,” Emma sighed and hugged him. “You’re so strong, Hans. And you are not alone. I’m going to be there as well.”

Hans nodded against her shoulder and she felt him relax a bit. “Thanks,” he said as he looked up.

“Any time, kid. Want to go back?” she asked.

He nodded and together they walked back to the group.

~~~

Ivy stretched out and looked over at her sister. They were at their mother's house, sorting through all of her stuff.

“I never knew she had so much stuff,” Ivy said.

“Me neither,” Ana agreed. She was standing in front of Victoria’s bookcase and it was mostly filled with books about skating, ice hockey or sports in general. A small portion was non-fiction books like biographies and study books. “What should we do with these?” she asked.

Ivy let her eyes roam over the books and picked one out of the closet. “How about we choose the books we want for ourselves and sell the rest?” she suggested.

Ana nodded and they went through the books. Both picked out a handful and Ana started to load the rest into boxes. They had decided to put Victoria’s house up for sale as neither of them fancied moving in. Ana looked over at her sister, she looked pale and tired.

“Ivy, how are you doing?” Ana asked, pausing momentarily in her task.

“Good,” Ivy replied shortly, concentrating on what she was doing.

“Sis,” Ana said, trying to get Ivy’s attention. Ivy finally looked up and Ana walked over to her. “You don’t have to lie to me,” she said softly.

Ivy tried to keep up the wall she had built but as soon as she saw the caring eyes of her sister she broke.

“I just miss her so much,” she sobbed. “Which is stupid, because I hated her so much.”

Ana wrapped her in her arms, trying to comfort her sister. “That is not stupid,” she said. “I feel the same way. She wasn’t the best human being, but in the end, she was still our mother.”

Ivy only nodded, finally letting go of her grief and pain. Ana held her tightly, tears rolling down her own cheeks. She felt the same, she and her mother never really connected. But during her last days, when Victoria’s facade had fallen, they had shared a few memorable moments. Ana knew Ivy had experienced the same, they had talked about it for hours. She was glad to have her sister, she didn’t think she would’ve been able to endure this on her own. The sound of the doorbell startled them and Ivy pulled back.

“Thank you,” she whispered, as she dried her tears.

“Anytime,” Ana smiled and wiped away her own tears.

Ana stood up and walked to the front door. She opened it and found Killian on the other side. He looked so lost as he looked up at her.

“Hey,” he said.

“Killian, hey,” Ana replied and stepped aside. “Come in.”

Killian hesitated for a moment before acquiescing. “Thank you,” he said. “I just came by to see if I could help out. I heard you’re going to sell the house?” he said.

Ana nodded. “Neither of us wanted to live here,” she explained. “Or do you want to?” she asked suddenly, she hadn’t even thought about the possibility.

“No, I don’t think I could do that,” he said as he looked around. “I would see her everywhere.”

“We thought the same,” Ana agreed.

“How are you?” he asked as he looked at her with a concerning look.

“As well as I can be, considering,” Ana replied.

Killian nodded, he understood completely. “And Ivy?” he asked softly.

Ana shrugged. “Not so good. She’s not taking this very well.”

Killian sighed. “Poor Ivy,” he said.

“I’ll get over it,” Ivy said from behind and walked over to give him a hug. “Thank you for coming over.”

“Any time, squirt,” he teased.

Ivy shook her head and walked back into the living room. “Come, you need to move something for me,” she called over her shoulder.

Killian chuckled and followed Ivy into the living room. Ana decided to walk into the kitchen and make some fresh coffee.

~~~

Emma looked up from the coffee machine when she heard footsteps approaching. Hans stopped next to her and looked longingly at the coffee. Emma smirked and pressed another button after she’d taken out her own coffee.

“Thanks,” he smirked. “Mary Margaret doesn’t allow me to have it.”

“I know,” Emma chuckled. “But I’m not Mary Margaret,” she winked mischievously.

“Thank god, now that would be scary,” Hans chuckled.

He picked up the coffee and they walked back to the chairs. They were waiting for the trial against Paddy. Mary Margaret had tagged along for support. They had been waiting for what felt like hours and Emma had no idea why.

“How are you holding up?” she asked.

“Okay, I guess,” Hans shrugged. “We’ll survive, right?” he tried to smile bravely.

“Definitely,” Emma smiled at him.

“There you are!” Mary Margaret stood waiting for them impatiently. “They just came to get us.”

“Finally,” Emma sighed and quickly finished her coffee.

Hans did the same and they walked to the courtroom. The room was filled with people and Emma and Hans were lead to a seat in the front to where other witnesses were sitting as well. Mary Margaret found a spot behind them. Emma placed her hand on Hans’ knee that was bouncing up and down. On the other side of the alley, up front sat Paddy next to his lawyer. Emma glanced at him. Paddy looked up and grinned at her. Emma diverted her eyes and stood up when the judge entered the room. He sat down and everyone sat down as well. He opened the file in front of him and looked up at the room.

“We are here for case number 4053: State versus Mr. Paddy Scally. Mr. Paddy is being charged with promoting prostitution, child abuse, child endangerment, and several abductions,” the judge started and began to read out loud all of the allegations. “The state has produced witnesses,” he added and looked at a man in a suit in front of Emma.

The man stood up, holding a file. “The state has, your honour,” he started. “First witness: Josephine Wilder.”

A young woman, a bit older then Hans stood up and walked up to the witness stand. The state’s lawyer walked up to her and started to ask her questions about where she met Paddy and what he did to her. When he was done, Paddy’s lawyer stood up and started to question her as well. These were of a different kind, he tried to set her up for failure. Josephine withstood it barely and Emma could see the relief on her face.

“Next witness: Hans Zimmer.”

Hans took a deep breath and stood up. He didn’t look Paddy’s way as he walked over to the stand and solely focused on the lawyer in front of him. The man held up a book of the law and Hans placed his hand on it.

“Do you swear to tell the truth and the truth only?” the lawyer asked.

“I do,” Hans nodded.

The lawyer put away the book and looked up at Hans. “When did you first meet Mr. Scally?” he asked.

“Three years ago,” Hans said. “I had heard I could make easy money with him.”

“From whom did you hear that?” the lawyer asked.

“An older kid that lived with me and my sister in the foster home,” Hans told him.

“And did this kid tell you what you had to do?” the lawyer asked.

“No,” Hans answered.

“When you found out what you had to do for Mr. Scally, you still chose to work for him?” the lawyer asked.

“Objection!” Paddy’s lawyer called. “He is putting words in his mouth.”

“Sustained,” the judge agreed and looked at the state’s lawyer. “Please ask another question.”

The lawyer nodded, not in the slightest annoyed. “How long did you work for Mr. Scally?” he asked instead.

“Almost three years,” Hans replied.

“And did you ever feel you had the freedom to leave?”

“No,” Hans said determinedly.

“What was the reason you started working for him in the first place?” the lawyer asked.

Emma was afraid Paddy’s lawyer would jump up again, but he didn’t.

“Desperation,” Hans simply asked. “I wanted to get my sister out of the foster system,” he explained.

“Thank you,” the lawyer said and looked up at the judge. “I have no more questions.”

Hans looked over at Emma, who nodded encouragingly at him. He smiled bravely and looked up as Paddy’s lawyer stalked over to him.

“You are in the foster system?” he asked harshly, not looking at Hans.

“Was,” Hans corrected him without flinching. “Me and my sister were adopted last year.”

“Congratulations,” the lawyer said. “Do you feel my client has forced you to do what he asked of you?”

“Yes,” Hans answered and frowned.

“Have you ever told him you didn’t want to do it?” the lawyer continued.

“No, but…”

“So even though you feel my client forced you, you didn’t tell him to stop?” he continued, finally looking up at Hans.

“No…”

“No further questions.”

Confused, Hans walked away from the stand and sat down next to Emma. “What the fuck was that?” he asked, looking scared at Emma.

“Scare tactics,” Emma growled. “You did amazing,” she told him.

“Thank you,” he said, still looking shaken.

“Next witness: Emma Swan.”

Emma stood up and walked over to the stand. She made the same promise as Hans did and sat down.

“Miss Swan, when did you meet Mr. Scally for the first time?” he asked.

“About twenty-five years ago,” Emma said after quickly calculating.

“So you would be about 8 when you first met him?” he asked to confirm.

“Yes.”

A gasp went through the audience and Emma cringed. She had never actually told Mary Margaret the details about what happened then. Even though she had already been adopted at that age, she apparently had felt the need to sneak around and pull stunts like this. Now that she looked back at it, she felt so ashamed.

“What were the circumstances when you met him?” the lawyer asked, pulling her back to the present.

“I was still in foster care and very vulnerable. He promised me money and a free life. I believed him and I went with him. At first, the jobs he gave me to do weren’t bad. I had to shoplift at the mall and sometimes escort some of the older girls to places. Six months after I met him, I came into the care of the Nolans. I told him I had a proper family now and wanted to stop working. He looked at me with those piercing eyes and told me he was my family and that I was ungrateful. That was the first time he forced himself onto me. He pressured me into doing the same stuff the older girls had to do. It wasn’t until I was scouted into the speed skating circuit that he let me go. If I hadn’t been scouted, I wouldn’t have survived,” Emma told her story, trying to keep a straight face.

She knew Mary Margaret was going to yell at her for never telling, but she hoped her mother would understand why she never could. The state’s lawyer nodded and looked up at the judge.

“No further questions,” he said with a quiet voice.

The judge nodded and looked over at Paddy’s lawyer, who shook his head as well. The judge looked back at Emma with sympathetic eyes. “Thank you for telling your story, Miss Swan.”

Emma nodded and left the stand. She sat down next to Hans with her head bowed down. This confession had freed a lot of emotions and she wished Regina was here. Regina had asked her if she should come along, but Emma had wanted to spare her the details. But now she wished she had agreed to let Regina come with her.

The trial went on and in the end, the judge suspended the hearing. No judgment was spoken out, as the judge needed some time to go over the new materials and testimonies. Hans held Emma’s hand as they walked out of the court.

Outside, Mary Margaret was waiting for them. Without saying a word, she engulfed Emma into a hug. Emma crumbled and started crying. Finally, everything was let out; finally, she could be honest. Hans stood next to them and wrapped his arms around them.

“I’m sorry,” Emma whispered.

“It’s okay,” Mary Margaret replied, she was crying as well. “I don’t like that you didn’t tell us, but I get it.”

“Thank you, mom,” Emma sobbed and once again dove back into her mother's arms. She pulled Hans into the hug as well, as he had gone through the same as her and she hadn’t been able to stop it.

~~~

Regina looked up from the book she was pretending to read when she heard the front door open and close. Emma had sent her a text a couple of hours ago to let her know the trial had been suspended. Ever since, Regina had waited anxiously for Emma’s return. She listened as Emma hung up her coat and dumped the keys at the table near the door. She closed the book and placed it on the table in front of her as she stood up. Emma walked into the living room looking so broken.

“I’m sorry I’m late,” she said softly.

Regina rushed over to her and wrapped her arms around her fiancée. “It’s okay,” she whispered. “I’m glad you are safe.”

Slowly, Emma’s arms snaked around Regina’s waist. She sunk into Regina’s embrace, finally and completely relaxing.

“I am now,” she whispered. Regina stroked her back and they stood like that for minutes. Emma was the first one to move and she looked up to Regina. “I am ready to tell you whatever you want to know,” she said. “I don’t want to hide it from you any longer.”

Regina smiled up at her and cupped her cheek. “You don’t have to,” she whispered.

Emma covered Regina’s hand with hers and closed her eyes. “I want to,” she replied.

“Okay.”

Regina led them to the couch and faced Emma. Emma took a deep breath and started to tell her story. They talked into the wee hours, until Emma was practically collapsing because she was so tired. Regina took her upstairs to the bedroom and helped her to bed. Emma was already asleep before her head hit the pillow. Regina crawled in behind her, holding Emma closely. She didn’t fall asleep until hours later, Emma’s story kept her up and she cried softly for the love of her life…


	22. New Life

Zelena woke up and stretched out. The baby had been kicking half the night and she felt exhausted. She glanced at the clock on the nightstand, it was almost noon. She groaned and crawled out of bed.

Both Ruby and Belle were already up, Ruby was probably halfway to the pub. Belle hadn’t moved in completely yet, she couldn’t leave work just yet, so she was probably already at work.

As Zelena stood up, her back ached and she groaned. She rubbed her protruding stomach and smiled, it would not be long now until she could hold her little crumble. She hadn’t wanted to know if it’s a boy or a girl, it didn’t really matter to her.

Zelena decided to go for a shower to relax the muscles of her back. When she came back, she saw she had missed a call from Regina and with a smile she called back.

“Hey,” she said when Regina picked up.

“Sorry, did I wake you?” Regina asked.

“No, I was in the shower,” Zelena explained. “What’s up?” she asked.

“I was wondering if you had time for a cup of tea,” Regina asked.

“For you always, sis,” Zelena smiled. “Is everything alright?” she asked, something was off in Regina’s voice.

“Yeah, sort of,” she heard Regina sigh. “I’ll explain when I get there.”

“Okay,” Zelena said. “When will you be here?”

“Fifteen minutes, tops,” Regina replied.

“Okay, see you soon.”

Zelena hung up and sighed. She hoped that whatever it was wasn’t serious. She went over to her closet while sending Ruby and Belle a text to tell them she was awake. Belle immediately responded, asking if she slept well. Zelena texted her back, explaining the baby would be a night monster later. She chuckled and walked downstairs once she was dressed.

She quickly made something to eat and put on the cattle. She scrolled through her Facebook timeline as she waited for Regina to arrive. She had barely finished eating when the doorbell rang and she stood up to waddle over to the door. She opened it and Regina stood waiting for her.

“Hey,” Regina smiled. “How are you?” she asked as she stepped inside.

“Tired,” Zelena sighed. “The little mongrel has been keeping me up all night.”

“I’m sorry,” Regina sympathised and walked into the kitchen.

Zelena followed her and sat down at the table. Regina hung her coat away and went about to get the tea. She placed two mugs on the table, followed by the box with tea bags and the kettle. With a sigh, she sat down and poured the hot water into the mugs.

“So, what’s up?” Zelena asked as she wrapped her hands around the warm mug.

Regina followed her example and looked up at her sister. “You know Emma had to go to that trial against that creep that preyed on Hans, right?” she asked.

“Yeah, the one she told you not to go to. Did you go anyway?” Zelena asked with a smile, it would totally be something that Regina would do.

Regina chuckled and shook her head. “No. I behaved, thank you very much,” she said.

“I wouldn’t have blamed you if you did,” Zelena shrugged.

“I know,” Regina nodded. “Anyway, Emma came home very late and opened up about what happened to her in her youth. Apparently, that creep had her in his claws as well,” Regina started to tell.

“No way,” Zelena gasped. “How young was she?”

“Eight,” Regina choked. “She looked so broken when she got home and I really want to punch the living daylights out of that creep. I could tell she was so ashamed.”

“Shit,” Zelena breathed. “Is he getting locked away?” she asked.

Regina nodded. “There hasn’t been a verdict yet, but he will be locked away for certain. We just don’t know how long.”

“I see,” Zelena nodded. “It’s very brave of Emma to come clean about it, especially since she’s famous,” she mused.

“Yeah, we’ve been stalked by journalists all day,” Regina groaned. “Emma doesn’t dare get out of the house. I hope it will die down after the trial is done.”

“It probably will,” Zelena said as she stood up to get some cookies from the kitchen.

Suddenly she gasped and reached for her belly. Pain seared through her and she barely could grab the table to keep standing.

“Zelena!”

Regina flew to her feet and helped steady Zelena. Zelena looked up, fear shone through in her eyes.

“I think it’s starting,” she whispered and as she said it, her water broke.

“I know for sure,” Regina said calmly and grabbed a chair for Zelena. “Sit down, I’ll call the ambulance,” she said.

Zelena groaned with pain as a contraction soared through her body and sat down. Regina already had her phone in hand and was calling 112, while rubbing Zelena’s back.

“It hurts!” Zelena screamed.

“I know,” Regina said. “Yes, hi, my sister is in labour,” she said as soon as the phone was picked up. She told them her name and Zelena’s and gave them the address. She hung up and knelt next to Zelena. “They are on the way,” she told Zelena.

Zelena nodded and took a deep breath. “Can you call Ruby please?” she asked.

“Of course. Do you want me to call Belle and August as well?” Regina asked.

“Yeeeessss,” Zelena hissed as another contraction hit her.

“Okay.”

Regina quickly called Ruby and Ruby promised to come to the hospital as quickly as she could. Regina asked her to be careful and Ruby promised to do that. Next she called Belle and August, both would be coming to the hospital as well. Regina was just about to call Emma when the ambulance arrived.

“I’m going to be right back,” she told Zelena and went to the front door to open it and let the medics in.

The medics examined Zelena quickly and helped her on the stretcher. Zelena looked up at Regina, sweat was beading her face.

“There’s a suitcase in my bedroom,” she gasped. “It’s packed for this.”

Regina nodded and stormed upstairs. She found the suitcase and carried it downstairs. She was just in time as the medics were loading Zelena into the back of the ambulance. Regina was ushered in the back as well and Regina sat down next to Zelena. Zelena grabbed her hand and held on tight.

“You got this,” Regina told her.

Zelena tried to smile bravely, but another contraction hit her and she yelled out in pain. Regina could feel the pain as well and she wished there was more she could do for her sister. With blaring alarms, the ambulance drove away…

~~~

Henry nervously looked out of the window. There were only ten more minutes left of the class and then it was time for the lunch break. He had decided he would finally ask Violet to go to the movies with him. He had tried a couple of times before, but he always chickened out. But today would be the day. Finally, the bell sounded and he watched as the classroom emptied out.

“Violet,” he called as his best friend walked past him.

Violet turned around to face him and frowned. “Aren’t you coming?” she asked.

“I thought maybe we could go for a walk and eat in the park?” he suggested.

“Sure,” Violet smiled.

Together they walked out of the school and crossed the street to the park. They found a spot to sit and Violet took Henry’s lunch out of his backpack and handed it to him. Henry studied Violet for a moment, she looked beautiful in the sun. When she was three, she had gotten a brain bleed, resulting in her left leg and arm not working properly. She walked with a cane to help with her limp, but she totally rocked that look according to Henry.

“So, I’ve been meaning to ask you something,” Henry started and she looked up at him.

“Okay, shoot,” she smiled at him.

“Would you like to go to the movies with me?” he asked nervously.

“You don’t have to ask that, silly,” Violet smirked. “Of course I want to go.”

“No, I mean… like a date,” Henry stuttered.

Violet stared up at him, a cheerful twinkle flashed in her eyes. “I thought you’d never ask. I’d love to,” she said as she jumped up and hugged him.

“Really?” Henry asked surprised.

“Yeah, I’ve had a crush on you since we met,” Violet confessed.

“Then why didn’t you ask me?” he asked confused.

“Because that is something boys do,” she teased him.

“I thought you were a feminist,” he joked back.

“Hmm, I am. But some things shouldn’t be changed,” she winked.

“So, it’s a date then?” Henry asked to verify.

“Totally,” Violet nodded. “What movie do you want to go to?” she asked.

“You can pick,” he smiled, he loved that he and Violet were on the same page.

“Black Widow it is,” she smirked.

“I knew it,” Henry laughed.

They hung out at the park until it was time to go back to school. Just before they entered the building, Violet stopped him and kissed him on the cheek.

“I really like you,” she whispered in his ear.

“I really like you too,” Henry said and felt he was turning red.

Violet smiled and held open the door for him. Henry quickly drove inside, Violet followed him. Both of them pretended nothing happened between them as they entered the class, but they both kept sneaking glances at each other for the rest of the day.

~~~

Tapping impatiently on the handles of her bike, Emma waited for the light to turn green. Regina had called her from the ambulance, telling her Zelena had gone into labour. Emma hadn’t hesitated and had quickly taken a shower. She had been holed up in the house in her pyjama’s, avoiding the journalists, but this was more important. So she had taken a shower in record time, gotten dressed and left home on her bike. Of course, the journalists had followed her, but she hadn’t really cared. There would probably be a very charming picture of her tomorrow in the tabloids, but she would deal with it then. Now she needed to get her arse to the hospital and be with her fiancée and sister in law. Even though she wasn’t married to Regina yet, Zelena felt like family.

Finally, the light turned green and Emma sped away. She raced through the city and threw her bike into the parking before the hospital. That was another reason why she had a motorbike, easy parking. She pulled off her helmet and dashed inside. At the desk, she asked where they had taken Zelena to and soon she ran to the maternity floor. Regina jumped up from the chair where she had been reading a magazine.

“You’re here,” she smiled relieved.

“Of course,” Emma replied and dumped her helmet on an empty chair before hugging Regina. “How is she?” she asked.

“Resting for now,” Regina told her. “The doctor is in now to see how far along she is.”

“Okay. And Ruby, Belle and August?” she asked.

“Ruby is in there, Zelena refused to let go of her and both Belle and August are on their way,” Regina filled her in. “Were you in so much pain too when you gave birth to Henry?” she suddenly asked softly.

Pain was racking through my body like a white-hot knife. I gasped, holding onto my sore belly. It felt like everything in my body was on fire. The cool washcloth that landed on my forehead gave a little reprieve and I felt I could breathe again.

“I can’t do this,” I told my mother.

“Yes, you can, sweetheart,” she said and held my hand.

Another wave of pain washed through my body and I squeezed my mother’s hand flat, hissing out in pain.

“Oh, yes,” Emma nodded.

“Thank you,” Regina said.

“For what?” Emma frowned.

“For going through that and indirectly giving me Henry,” Regina explained.

Emma smiled softly. “It all worked out in the end, didn’t it?”

“It did,” Regina smiled as well.

“Where is she?”

Belle stood before them, completely in panic. Regina stood up and grabbed her shoulders tightly. “She’s in there, but you need to calm down,” Regina told her.

“Is she okay?” Belle asked, her voice highly pitched.

“She will be,” Regina assured her. “Now, deep breath.”

Belle maintained eye contact with Regina as she took a deep breath and shivered. Emma saw the panic disappear from her face as she nodded and ducked her head.

“Thank you,” Belle said to Regina.

“You’re welcome,” Regina smiled. “Now go, she’s been asking for you.”

Belle smiled and disappeared into the room. Regina sat down again next to Emma and intertwined her fingers with Emma’s.

“I still think it’s very special what those three share,” Emma said.

“Yeah. I needed to get used to it, but I’ve never seen Zelena so centred,” Regina agreed.

“I’m happy for her,” Emma smiled. “She deserves it.”

“Is she in there?”

August was standing in front of them, looking slightly panicked as well. Regina sighed and stood up again. “She is,” she said.

“Am I too late?” he asked.

“No, you are not,” Regina told him. “The doctor is just checking how far along she is.”

“Okay, good,” August said and sunk on a chair across the hall. “Are Ruby and Belle in?” he asked, seemingly coming back down to earth.

“Yeah, they are,” Emma said.

“Good,” he said. “She needs them more than me.”

Emma smiled at her friend, she was proud of him. He hadn’t once complained about the relationship Zelena had with Ruby and Belle. If anything, he had supported them. The door opened and the doctor stepped out of the room.

“She’s coming along very well, but it will take some more time,” she told them and looked at August. “Are you the father?” she asked.

“Yeah, but…”

“You can go in, if you want,” she smiled at him.

“It’s okay, really,” August said. “She has all the people she needs around her.”

“Very well,” the doctor nodded and walked away.

Regina stood up and walked into the room. Belle and Ruby were each sitting on a side of the bed, Zelena was holding both their hands.

“Hey,” she smiled at Regina.

“Hey,” Regina smiled back and stopped at Zelena’s feet, massaging them softly. “August and Emma are here,” she told her sister.

“Okay,” Zelena nodded. “They can come in if they want,” she said.

“Are you sure?” Regina asked concerned.

“Yeah, the doc just gave me an epidural, so I’m not gonna feel a thing,” Zelena smirked.

“Okay,” Regina smiled.

She walked back and called Emma and August in. They all got comfortable around Zelena’s bed, talking with her or talking softly with each other while Zelena slept.

“Do you think you want to do it again?” Regina asked Emma softly when Zelena had fallen asleep.

“What, childbirth?” Emma asked and Regina nodded. “Is this your way of suggesting you want to have another kid?” she asked amused.

“Maybe,” Regina shrugged. “I mean, I get it if you wouldn’t want to do it again. I think I would want to.”

Emma looked at Regina with amazement. “What did I do to deserve this?” she asked.

“I don’t know,” Regina shrugged sheepishly and kissed Emma. “You just do.”

The doctor barged into the room again not much later and once again to see how far along Zelena was. With a smile, she pulled off the glove. “You are ready,” she said.

~~~

“Hans?”

Hans looked up from the schedule he was making for his team of youngsters. He found Gretel standing in the doorway.

“Hey sis,” he said. “Come in.”

Gretel walked in and sat down on his bed. Hans glanced at her as she seemingly was searching for words. “Do you think you would still be working for him if Mary Margaret and David hadn’t taken us in? And if Emma hadn’t saved you?” she asked softly.

Hans sighed and put down his pencil. He turned his chair so he was facing Gretel. “Probably,” he said. “Are you blaming yourself?” he asked. Gretel shrugged but didn’t answer. “Because it is not your fault,” he told her.

Now Gretel looked up, fire blazing in her eyes. “But you were working for him so you could get money so you could get me out of the system,” she said. “How can I not blame myself?”

“Because I made the choice,” Hans told her. “I could also have chosen a more honourable job.”

“Yeah, but then it would have taken ages and I’m not sure if I would have survived that,” she said. “If Emma and David hadn’t come to save me when they did, I would have died that day.”

Hans sighed again and nodded. “I know,” he said. “But thank god that didn’t happen and thank god for Emma who saved my life as well.”

Gretel nodded and finally her face lit up. “We really made it,” she said.

“We did,” Hans smiled. “Mom and dad would be proud of us.”

“I keep forgetting them,” Gretel admitted. “Like what they looked like, what the sound of their voice was, how they smelled.”

Hans took a deep breath. “I do too. And you know what I do then?” he asked. Gretel shook her head and Hans pulled a big picture book from underneath his pillow. “I go visit them in my dreams.”

He handed Gretel the book and Gretel opened it. She leafed through the book and when she looked up, tears were in her eyes.

“Thank you,” she said.

“Take it with you tonight,” he said. “It will help.”

Gretel put the book aside and hugged her brother. “I’m glad I still have you,” she whispered.

“Me too,” he choked. “Me too.”

~~~

It was well past midnight when Regina emerged from the delivery room. Zelena had last minute asked for Regina to be at the birth, so Emma, Ruby, Belle and August had settled in the waiting room as only one person was allowed to come with. Ruby and Belle were holding each other, Belle’s head was resting on Ruby’s shoulder and Ruby’s head was resting on Belle’s head. Both were semi-asleep, August was playing a game on his phone, and Emma was just watching them. Regina watched them for a moment longer, before stepping into the ring of chairs.

“Regina!” Emma rose to her feet, effectively waking up Belle and Ruby, August looked up as well.

“Hey,” Regina smiled. “Zelena gave birth to a beautiful baby girl and they are both okay,” she filled them, her voice soft with exhaustion. “Zelena is still in the recovery room.”

She walked towards a chair and stumbled. Emma was just in time to catch her.

“I got you,” she whispered.

She helped Regina towards the chair and sat her down. “Thank you,” Regina smiled and cupped Emma’s cheek.

“I’m going to take you home,” Emma decided.

“But Zelena…” Regina protested.

“Will be asleep for a while,” Emma said. “We all should go home and get some rest,” she said as she looked at the others.

“No way, I’m staying here,” Ruby said as she rubbed the sleep from her eyes. “I managed to get some sleep.”

“Me too,” Belle said.

“Okay,” Emma nodded. “But we are going home.”

“I’ll drive,” August said as he stood up.

“Thanks,” Emma smiled. “I’ll follow you on the bike.”

“We better take my car,” Regina interjected. “It smells cleaner,” she added with a small smirk.

August shook his head with a smile, he was glad Regina still got her sense of humour. He and Emma helped her to her feet, Emma wrapped her arm around Regina’s waist as Regina leant with almost her full weight against Emma.

“Okay, we’ll see you in a couple of hours,” she said to Ruby and Belle. “Call us if you need anything or something happens.”

“We will,” Ruby promised. “Go get your wifey home.”

Emma smiled and walked out of the waiting room with Regina, August followed them.

~~~

It was a few days later and the weekend. Zelena had come home with baby Robin a day before the weekend and was enjoying her time with her little girl. Both Emma and Regina were over at Zelena’s a lot to help out, but Ruby and Belle had kicked them out, saying they were handling it. Emma chuckled at how Regina was mothering Zelena and she had to admit, the idea of another little one in their family was getting more and more appealing.

They had taken Henry to see little Robin as soon as he had come home from school. He was completely in love with her and had begged Regina to go see her that weekend again. For now, they were sitting in the living room, all reading something. Yet Henry couldn’t focus, he hadn’t told his parents about Violet yet.

“Moms?” he asked and smiled at the sound of that. He had started to call them that the moment Emma had moved in, even if Emma hadn’t adopted him yet. “There’s something I need to tell you.”

“What did you break now?” Emma teased him and Henry stuck out his tongue.

Regina swatted at Emma and shook her head with a smile. “What’s up, my prince?” she asked her son.

Henry grimaced at the nickname, he needed to tell her he didn’t really like it anymore, but she always said it with such a sweet smile. “Do you remember my friend Violet?” he asked.

“I do,” Emma nodded, trying to contain her enthusiasm.

“Well, we’re going to the movies tomorrow,” he told them, his heart was pounding in his chest.

“Tomorrow?” Regina frowned. “I don’t have time to take you, darling.”

“You don’t have to,” Henry said. “I ordered a cab.”

“But shouldn’t one of us go with you?” Regina asked concerned.

Henry took a deep breath as irritation filled him and he was about to reply when Emma beat him to it.

"I don’t think he wants one of us to tag along,” she said to Regina.

“What?”

“It’s a date, mom,” Henry finally burst.

“Ooo,” Regina said, she suddenly understood. “I’m sorry.”

Henry shook his head. “It’s okay. Anyway, she’s coming over here first, so we can share the cab,” he said.

“How is she getting here then?” Emma asked curious.

“Her father is dropping her off,” Henry told them.

“Good for you, kid,” Emma smiled and high fived him.

Henry struggled to meet her hand, but he succeeded. Then he looked expectantly at his mother. “Is it okay if I go with her?” he asked, suddenly unsure.

Regina looked over at him and then a smile broke on her face. “Of course,” she said. “But I would have liked to have known about it a bit sooner,” she scolded at him.

“I’m sorry,” Henry said, bowing his head.

“But I’m glad for you,” Regina said and walked over to him. “I’m also a bit sad that my little boy is growing up so fast,” she sighed as she knelt in front of him.

“That’s what kids do, you know,” he smirked.

“I know,” Regina chuckled.

“I’m going to call Violet to tell her it’s a definite go,” he beamed and drove off.

Regina turned around to face Emma. “So, about that second kid?” she asked with a mischievous smile.

Emma burst out laughing and Regina sat down next to her on the couch. Emma took her in her arms, Regina melted against her.

“I don’t like it either that he's growing up so fast,” Emma said. “I mean, I already missed so much.”

Regina nodded. “I know.”

“Have you heard anything about the adoption case yet?” Emma asked curiously.

“No, I’ll go see Rodger on Monday,” Regina said and sat up straight. “Beer?” she asked.

“Yes please,” Emma smiled.

Regina gave her a kiss, stood up from the couch and walked into the kitchen. Emma picked up the comic she was reading, but her mind wasn’t completely in it. The idea of having a new baby kept bugging her…

~~~

  
Monday evening rolled around and that meant time for practice. Emma and Regina were the first to arrive and they had brought some cake to celebrate the birth of Robin.

“I think Henry had a great time at the movies,” Emma smirked.

She remembered he had returned home with Violet after the movies and Regina had invited her for dinner. Violet had gladly taken up the invitation and Emma thought she was a really great girl. After she had left, Henry hadn’t told much about how the date had gone, he had only turned beet red when Emma had asked if they had kissed.

“I believe so too,” Regina nodded. “Violet is a really sweet girl.”

“Yeah, but not too sweet. She isn’t scared to talk back to Henry,” Emma mused, she had noticed how easy-going Violet was around Henry.

“True,” Regina nodded.

“What’s this?” Zoey asked as she entered the locker room and saw the cake.

“Zelena gave birth last week,” Regina beamed. “A healthy baby girl.”

“Oh, that is amazing!” Zoey beamed and hugged Regina. “Congratulated her for me?”

“I will,” Regina promised.

Soon the rest entered the locker room and everyone was thrilled for Zelena. Regina promised they all could have a slice of the cake after the training. They changed into their gear and hit the ice. George congratulated Regina as well with the birth of Robin.

They started skating their warm-up rounds, Emma and Regina hung back a bit.

“Oh, I spoke to Rodger,” Regina told Emma.

“And?” Emma asked curiously.

“He told me the case is almost closed. You only need to go see the judge for a meeting and that’s it,” Regina filled her in.

“Really? When do I need to go meet the judge?” Emma asked.

“Rodger will call you tomorrow with the details,” Regina said. “But he wasn’t worried.”

“Good,” Emma smiled.

George whistled and gathered them around. He wanted to do some stick handling and had them do the cat and mouse game, where one needed to keep the puck and the other needed to steal it. Of course, Emma and Regina ended up against each other and Emma smirked.

“Remember we had to do this my first training too?” she asked.

“I definitely do,” Regina smirked. “Ice looked nice on your arse.”

Emma flipped her off and managed to steal the puck from Regina. Regina tried to steal it back, but Emma was too fast. She flipped around and she heard a crash. As she looked behind her, she saw Regina lay flat on the ice.

“Ice looks nice on your arse too,” Emma laughed and went over to help her up.

“Fuck you,” Regina mumbled.

“Right here? That’s a bit kinky, don’t you think?” Emma smirked.

Regina flipped her off and went after the puck. George let them play around for a while until he gathered them for the next exercise, penalties. When he was satisfied, he sent them off the ice to go enjoy the cake. They all quickly showered and changed to gather around at the restaurant. Emma cut the cake and Regina handed it out. Finally, everyone got cake and Ruby snapped a picture for Zelena.

“To Robin,” Regina said as she raised the cake.

“To Robin!” everyone repeated.

Regina smiled as she saw everyone eating the cake happily and fawning over the pictures Ruby had brought. Ruby had told Regina that Zelena had practically thrown her out of the house to go to the training. Belle had moved in permanently and was taking care of Zelena and Robin. Regina was really glad her sister finally had found her happiness…


	23. Wedding Bell Blues

Emma woke up from a restless slumber as Neal started to cry. For a moment Emma was confused about why she was here and not in her own bed next to Regina, but then she remembered. Today was the day. Today was the wedding day.

She smiled and stretched herself out. Out of habit, she grabbed her phone and scrolled through her timeline before getting out of bed. Congratulations were already filling her timeline and she smiled as she replied to some of them.

“Emma! Breakfast!”

Emma locked her phone and stepped out of bed. For a moment she thought about how her life looked like a year ago. Still living with her parents, crappy jobs and a not so faithful girlfriend. She smiled as she realised how her life had changed for the better. Quickly she pulled on sweatpants and a hoodie before she walked downstairs. Following the smell of freshly baked pancakes, she walked into the kitchen.

“That smells divine,” Emma smiled as she walked over to Mary Margaret to give her a kiss on the cheek.

“Thanks,” Mary Margaret smiled. “I just had to make them for you.”

“Thank you,” Emma said as she sat down at the kitchen table.

Soon a plate full of freshly baked pancakes was placed on the table and Emma lifted one to her own plate. Hans and Gretel crashed into the kitchen and looked happily at the pancakes.

“Pancakes!” Hans cheered and grabbed one from the pile.

“Don’t eat all of them, they are for your sister,” Mary Margaret warned him and Hans mock saluted as he sat down as well.

Gretel took one too and looked up at Emma. “Are you nervous?” she asked.

“Not yet,” Emma said. “But I’m not sure I will be. I really want to get married to Regina,” she smiled.

Gretel nodded and Mary Margaret quickly turned around to not show she was already starting to cry. She was so happy that Emma had found her true love and Mary Margaret had seen her change so much over the year. Of course she had protested when Emma had decided to go play ice hockey and of course she had worried when Emma and Regina had broken up, but she was glad it had worked out in the end.

“Oh, what time do I need to be at the church?” she heard Gretel ask.

Gretel would be the ring bearer, while Henry and Hans were both the best men to Regina and Emma.

“Around two, I believe,” Emma replied. “The service starts at three-thirty.”

“Okay,” Gretel nodded. “I'm nervous, is that weird?” she asked.

Emma chuckled. “No, it’s not,” she smiled.

“Like you’re afraid to drop the rings?” Hans teased.

“Yeah, or losing them, forgetting about them,” Gretel summed up.

“You will be okay,” Emma told her.

“Emma, you need to hurry up,” Mary Margaret warned her. “The hairdresser will be here in an hour.”

“Oh, shit, indeed.” Emma quickly ate another pancake and stood up. She walked over to Mary Margaret and gave her a hug. “I still love your pancakes the best,” she said. “Please give me the recipe now that I’m starting my own family?” she pleaded, she had been trying for so long to get the recipe. She even had tried to sneak a peek when Mary Margaret was making them, but Mary Margaret had chased her out of the kitchen.

“Maybe,” Mary Margaret smiled mischievously.

“Mooom,” Emma begged, but Mary Margaret just smiled at her.

“Go shower,” Mary Margaret told her as she pushed Emma out of the kitchen.

“Fine,” Emma grumbled and walked upstairs.

“Are you really not going to tell her?” Gretel asked curiously.

“Of course,” Mary Margaret chuckled. “I’m gifting her a recipe book with all of her favourite dishes.”

Gretel smiled. “That’s a good idea, she’s going to love it.”

“I know she is,” Mary Margaret winked. “Now, go upstairs and go get changed. You are after Emma at the hairdresser.”

“Yes, mom,” Gretel said and left the kitchen.

Both Hans and Mary Margaret looked after her surprised.

“I’m glad she apparently feels that way about you,” Hans remarked with a sad smile.

Mary Margaret looked at him guiltily. “I’m sorry.”

“No, don’t be,” Hans shook his head. “She really sees you like that. I’m just not sure if I will ever be able to,” he admitted.

“And that is okay,” Mary Margaret told him and hugged him. “As long as you feel comfortable.”

“Thank you,” he smiled and hugged her back. Mary Margaret held him and hoped he would at least feel safe enough to tell her this kind of thing. She never would want to replace his mother, but she wanted to be there for him. Hans let go of her first and scratched his head sheepishly. “Do you think Emma still wants these?” he asked, motioning at the pancakes.

“Dig in,” Mary Margaret chuckled and turned back to the sink to finish the dishes.

~~~

Across the city, Regina was getting ready as well. She’d had a luxurious breakfast with Henry, who had been more nervous than her. He then had left to Hans’ so they could go to the church together. Regina would be picked up by a limousine later and now she was sitting in front of the mirror. Belle was working on her hair while Zelena was doing her makeup. Ruby lay on the bed with Robin, who was making gurgling sounds. Regina smiled, she sounded satisfied.

“How is she doing?” she asked Zelena, looking aside slightly.

Zelena smiled. “She is doing amazing,” she said. “She’s not sleeping through yet, but she rarely cries and is very happy in general.”

“That is good to hear,” Regina smiled.

“Are you seriously not nervous?” Ruby asked from the bed.

Regina looked in the mirror to make contact with Ruby. “Nope. No reason to be,” she said.

“Wow,” Ruby sighed. “You are actually the first bride I met who is not nervous.”

“How many brides have you met?” Belle asked dryly.

“Uh… two?” Ruby counted.

“Who?” Zelena asked curiously.

“Emma of course,” Ruby smirked. “Oh, but she wasn’t nervous either,” she added as an afterthought. “Never mind.”

Regina chuckled and watched Belle do her magic with her hair. Regina thought it was going to look gorgeous and Emma would be blown away. Suddenly her phone rang and Regina frowned. She picked it up and when she saw who it was, she quickly picked up.

“Rodger, hi… no, you’re not interrupting. Yes, that is today… No worries, what’s up?” she asked and listened to his answer. Her face erupted in a huge smile. “Thank you, that’s perfect timing,” she told him. “Thank you, I will.” She hung up and with a big smile, she placed her phone back on the table.

“Good news?” Zelena asked.

“You bet,” Regina smiled. “And I’m not going to tell you yet. Emma and Henry need to hear it first,” she added when she saw Zelena’s face.

“Fine,” Zelena chuckled. “You’re all done.”

Regina's makeup was flawless, Zelena had outdone herself. “You should do something with this,” Regina said. “You’re really good.”

“Nah, I’m happy between my flowers,” Zelena replied. “But thank you.”

Soon Belle was done with her hair as well and the ladies helped Regina into her dress without messing up the hair and the makeup. They were just done when the limousine stopped before the house to pick up Regina. Regina walked to the front door and took a deep breath. Maybe she was a tad bit nervous after all.

“Here we go,” she said to Zelena.

“See you in the church,” Zelena smiled. “You’ll be the one in white and purple at the altar, right?” she joked.

Regina chuckled and felt the nervousness slide off her shoulders. “Yes,” she smiled and walked out of the house.

As she stepped into the back of the limousine, she realised she was really doing this. She was really going to get married. If someone had told her this a year ago, she would have laughed at them. Back then she was still a wreck over Denise and she didn’t even want to think about a relationship. Now she was going to marry the most amazing woman in the world and she couldn’t wait until she had Emma back in her arms. Last night had felt so weird and unfamiliar. She almost had called Emma, because she couldn’t sleep. She hadn’t done it, afraid to wake Emma up. She smiled as the limousine started driving, she would see Emma very soon…

~~~

Emma stood before the mirror. She was wearing a dark purple tuxedo, Zelena had told her the colour would match with Regina’s dress. She couldn’t wait until she saw Regina in her dress. Zelena had for a change not told a thing and Emma was burning with curiosity.  
The hairdresser had put up her hair in a tight bun, two strings of hair fell next to her face. She thought it looked very neat. She looked up when she felt someone watching her. Mary Margaret stood in the doorway with tears in her eyes.

“Mom,” Emma said and walked towards her. “Don’t cry just yet,” she asked and hugged her mother.

“How could I not?” Mary Margaret asked with a sob. “You look so gorgeous.”

“Thank you,” Emma smiled.

“I can’t believe you are actually getting married,” Mary Margaret said as she looked Emma over once more.

“Me neither,” Emma chuckled.

“I mean, I really thought you were married to the ice,” Mary Margaret chuckled as she brushed some dust from Emma’s shoulders.

“I was for a very long time,” Emma admitted. “But I found something I love more.”

Mary Margaret smiled. “I’m glad for it,” she said. “I want my kids happy.”

“I really am, mom,” Emma smiled. “And it is because of you. Without you and dad, I probably would have ended up in the gutter.”

Mary Margaret sighed and looked up at Emma. “I’m glad we were able to save you, although we didn’t know at the time how bad it all was.”

Emma looked down, pushing her hands into the pockets. “I’m sorry I never told you and I’m sorry you had to find out like this,” she said with a small voice. “I just never felt ready until now.”

“I know,” Mary Margaret told her. “I’m glad you felt ready just in time.”

“Me too,” Emma smiled and hugged her mother.

Outside a car honked and Hans came running upstairs. “Your car is here,” he told her and whistled when he saw her. “Wow, very dashing.”

“Thank you,” Emma smiled.

“Come, you have a wedding to get to,” Mary Margaret said and softly pushed Emma out of her old bedroom.

Emma walked downstairs, hugged both Hans and Mary Margaret and stepped into the back of the limousine.

~~~

Hans, Gretel, Henry and Violet were waiting in a side chamber of the church waiting for the service to start. Gretel was playing with the bag that contained the rings and Hans and Henry were talking softly. Violet leant against Henry’s wheelchair, her hand rested on his shoulder.

“So, it’s official then?” Hans asked with a smile, looking up at Violet.

Henry smiled and nodded. “Yeah,” he said. “It felt like a natural thing to do.”

“Congratulations,” Hans said. “I’m really happy for you.”

Henry saw a bit of sadness shimmer in his eyes and he looked up at Violet. Violet got the hint, gave him a kiss and walked over to Gretel. They had started to form a friendship which Henry definitely encouraged. He knew how lonely Gretel was sometimes and she seemed to really open up to Violet.

“What’s up?” Henry asked his friend.

“Nothing,” Hans frowned.

“Hans…” Henry said sternly.

“Okay, fine,” Hans groaned. “It’s just, seeing everyone hooking up and being happy kind of hurts,” he admitted, he knew Henry would nag until he knew what was going on.

“You will find someone,” Henry said.

“Who would want someone as messed up as me?” Hans sighed, he had already given up the idea of having a girlfriend.

“You are not messed up,” Henry told him. “You just have some battle scars.”

Hans looked up and saw Henry wasn’t kidding. “They don’t feel like that,” he said softly.

“I know, but you will in time,” Henry said. “And for the time being, we’re going to find someone you can dance with tonight,” he smirked.

“Are you now?” Hans chuckled, he was glad to have Henry as a friend.

“Yeah,” Violet said and gave him a soft push against his shoulder. “Maybe one of the bridesmaids,” she chuckled.

Hans laughed. “Okay,” he agreed. “Why the hell not.”

The door opened and Joanne, who was the ceremony master with August, came to get them.

“They are here,” she smiled.

“Showtime,” Henry smirked and drove out of the chamber first.

~~~

Impatiently, Emma stood before the altar. Behind her stood Hans and across from her stood Henry waiting for his mother. Next to her on her right stood the female minister they had searched wide and far for. Both of them had found it important it was a female minister and both had wanted to get married in a church. Emma spotted her parents on the front row as well as Ruby and Belle. Belle was holding Robin and Emma smiled at the sight. The three of them really were a family together and Emma could see how perfectly they complemented each other. Both Ruby and Zelena were on the wild side, while Belle was calm and it looked like Belle actually centred them.

Finally, the music started to play and slowly the doors in the back of the church opened. Emma looked up expectantly and when Regina finally entered the church, her mouth dropped open. Regina was wearing a gorgeous white and purple wedding dress, the front was white with an intricate pattern and a purple band on the top that covered her breasts. She hadn’t seen the back, but she guessed the purple would be present there as well.

Regina walked down the aisle with Zelena, who gave her away. Regina immediately had decided she wanted that, as both her parents were deceased and Zelena was her twin sister. Emma had agreed on it immediately as well, it was perfect. At last, Regina stood in front of Emma with a soft smile.

“Hi,” Emma said.

“Hey,” Regina smiled.

Emma couldn’t wait until she could kiss her beautiful wife to be as she took Regina’s hand in hers. The minister smiled and nodded at both of them before she started to speak.

“We are gathered here together to celebrate the union of these two women. If there is someone present here who doesn’t agree with this union, speak now or be forever silent.” The minister stopped talking, but no one stood up. “Alright. When I met Emma and Regina, I wasn’t completely sure I should do this. I mean, a woman who had adopted a boy and then fell in love with the biological mother? I had my doubts.” A collective chuckle went through the church. “But when they told me their story and when I saw the love they have for each other, I was convinced. They both told me, separately, they didn’t want a long speech, so it will be my honour to continue with the vows. Regina?” the minister asked, finishing her speech.

Regina looked up at Emma and took a deep breath.

“When we first met, I noticed you almost right away. Even though we didn’t talk that first day, you had made an impression. Then you showed up at the ice hockey training and the way you strutted around on the ice, made my blood boil. I really thought you were so cocky for someone who'd never played hockey. But then you really started to skate and I was sold. Yes, we had our ups and downs, but at some point, I completely gave you my heart and trusted you with it. My dear Emma, you made me believe in love again. I can not wait to start the rest of our lives together.”

Emma didn’t hide the tear that rolled down her cheek as she listened to Regina’s vow and she had to take a moment before she started her vows.

“When we met, I was at a real low point in my life, and taken. Yet after that first meeting and that try out, I found myself thinking more about you than my then-girlfriend. I can remember the time we were forced to work together as co-captain and that was the moment I was smitten. You opened my eyes, you made me pick up my act and stop whining. My dearest Regina, I can not wait to grow old with you together and watch our son grow up.”

Regina looked at her with such loving eyes, that Emma had to restrain herself from kissing her. ‘Thank you’ Regina mouthed at her and Emma smiled.

“We will continue to the official part of this service now,” the minister said. “Gretel, can we please have the rings?” she asked and Gretel stood up from her seat. She handed both Emma and Regina their ring.

“Thank you,” Emma smiled at her.

Gretel nodded at her with a wide smile and walked back to her seat. Both Emma and Regina held each other’s right hand, holding the rings in front of the ring fingers.

“Regina Mills, do you take Emma Swan as your wife, to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, till death do you part?” the minister asked Regina.

“I do,” Regina smiled up at Emma.

“Emma Swan, do you take Regina Mills as your wife, to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, till death do you part?” the minister asked Emma.

“I do,” Emma smiled at Regina.

“Then I declare you wife and wife. You can kiss the bride,” the minister said.

“Fucking finally,” Emma muttered and pulled Regina gently in her arms and kissed her.

Applause, cheers and wolf whistles went up the church as they took their time. Regina was the first to break the kiss and smiled up at Emma.

“I love you so much,” she whispered.

“I love you too,” Emma whispered back.

They smiled at each other before turning to face their friends and family, holding hands. They finally did it and they both couldn’t be happier.

~~~

Regina pulled both Emma and Henry away from the guests as they were settling in at the party room.

“What’s up?” Emma asked, looking curiously at her wife.

She smirked at that thought but pulled her face straight when she saw Regina’s serious face.

“There is something I need to tell you both,” Regina started. “I got a phone call this morning from Rodger,” she said.

“Oh shit,” Emma mumbled, feeling all the blood drain from her face.

Henry looked concerned as well. “What did he say?” he asked anxiously.

“He told me that the adoption went through without problems,” Regina finally smiled and Emma let out a breath of relief.

“Really?” she asked, just to be sure.

“Really,” Regina smiled. “Henry is officially our son.”

A smile broke on Henry’s, while Emma started to cry. “It really went through?” she asked again.

“Yes,” Regina smiled and took Emma in her arms.

Emma wrapped her arms around Regina’s waist and let out all the stress about the adoption. When she had calmed down a bit, she let go of Regina and hugged Henry.

“Congratulations,” Henry smiled as he hugged her back.

“Thank you,” Emma smiled through her tears. “You too. Now you officially have two moms who can nag you about homework,” she joked.

“I think I can handle that,” he smiled.

“Good,” Emma smiled and stood up to look at Regina. “What a day,” she said.

“You can say that again,” Regina chuckled. “Shall we go see our guests?” she suggested.

“Good idea,” Emma smiled and with Henry in between them, they entered the party room they hired for their afterparty.

~~~

Dinner had come and gone and they were spoiled with gifts. Mary Margaret had indeed given Emma a recipe book with her favourite dishes, including the pancakes. Emma had been over the moon with it and promised Henry to make the pancakes the next morning.

“Are you sure you will be able to leave the bed tomorrow morning?” Regina had whispered in her ear.

Emma had put on wide eyes as she looked at Regina. “Why? What are you planning?” she had asked.

“You’ll just have to wait and see,” Regina had smirked.

After the gifts, Emma and Regina had cut the wedding cake. It was a three-tier cake, little ice hockey sticks, pucks and skates were decorated all over the cake and the figures on top that were representing Emma and Regina were both wearing skates and an ice hockey stick. Henry had filmed the cutting of the cake, joking that they only had one take to do this right. Of course it hadn’t gone smoothly, but it was clear none of them really cared.

After the cake, they all were served a three-course meal and the jokes had gone up and down over the table. The entire national ice hockey team was present and the Streatham Storm was also present, so there was a lot of joking around. Regina was glad both teams were getting along, but she hadn’t expected anything less.

“I do know I need to go running tomorrow,” Emma said as she finished her plate. “Man, I’m full.”

Regina chuckled. “Even too full for a dessert?” she asked, already knowing the answer.

“Never,” Emma smirked.

“This is definitely my favourite day,” Regina said.

“Mine too,” Emma smiled and kissed her wife softly. “I get to do this every day now,” she added.

“You were already allowed to do that,” Henry deadpanned with a smirk.

Emma sent him a tired look and he laughed out loud. “Just wait until you’re married,” Emma said.

“Shall we not do that in a long while?” Regina protested. “He’s already growing up so fast.”

Emma chuckled. “Fair enough,” she said. “You heard that, kid?” she asked as she looked over at Henry. “You’re not allowed to marry until you’re old and grey.”

Henry stuck out his tongue and Emma chuckled.

“Hey, I never said that,” Regina protested. “But if you don’t mind, please,” she said, looking at Henry.

“Mooom,” he whined.

“I’m just kidding,” Regina chuckled. “Of course you can marry, but not until you are far over eighteen.”

“Fine,” Henry grumbled, but his eyes were glistening with joy. “I hope Violet wants to wait that long though,” he said thoughtfully.

“What does Violet want?” Violet asked, hearing her name.

“She,” Henry pointed at Regina. “Wants us to wait with marriage until we are far past eighteen,” he explained.

“Dude, we’ve been dating for what? A month?” Violet said. “Maybe don’t mention marriage just yet,” she added.

“Sorry,” Henry said guiltily.

Violet laughed. “It’s so funny to mess with you,” she chuckled. “I would love to grow towards that point with you. And we’ll wait until how long it is necessary,” she said before she kissed him.

Emma and Regina looked at the couple in front of them and both smiled.

“I think he found the jackpot,” Emma whispered.

Regina nodded, she agreed.

After dinner, it was time to dance. Traditionally, Emma and Regina kicked off with the first dance. They danced to You Found Me by The Fray. Soon the other guests filled the dance room and Emma was just happy to have Regina in her arms.

“I’m never going to let you go,” she said to Regina.

“And I’m not letting you go,” Regina replied with a smile.

They danced until the late hours and both Emma and Regina were glad they could go home. It had been a long day for all of them. It was a bit unconventional, but they left in their van as they wanted to take Henry home with them. August had been so kind to drive the van over to the party centre for them. Henry drove his wheelchair into the back of the van and Regina secured him.

“Mom?” he asked tiredly.

Regina stepped forward so she could face him. “Yes, my prince?” she asked.

“I’m really glad Emma is my official mom now and that you two found each other,” he said, smiling softly.

“Me too,” Regina smiled. “Me too.”

She finished securing him and stepped out of the van, sliding the door close. Emma came walking back, she had said goodbye to her parents.

“Ready to go home?” she asked.

“Yes,” Regina smiled.

They got into the car, Emma would drive. When she looked in the rearview mirror, she saw Henry already had fallen asleep and she smiled. She started the engine and drove away, Regina held her hand as they made their way home. Empty tins were clinking behind their car and both of them laughed, August definitely had something to do with that.

When they got home, Emma helped Henry to bed while Regina freed herself from the dress. Emma walked back into the bedroom as Regina was putting on pyjama’s. Emma smiled as she walked over to her.

“I love you,” she whispered.

“I love you more,” Regina replied and kissed Emma.

Emma smiled and stripped out of her clothes as well, while Regina climbed into bed. Emma made a quick pitstop in the bathroom before she climbed into bed as well. Regina settled against Emma’s body as Emma wrapped her arm around Regina’s waist.

“So, what wild plans with me did you have?” Emma asked teasingly.

“I don’t remember,” Regina yawned. “I’m too exhausted.

Emma chuckled. “Maybe tomorrow.”

“Yeah,” Regina mumbled. “Goodnight Emma Swan-Mills,” she said.

“Good night, Regina Swan-Mills,” Emma smiled.

She snuggled against Regina, closing her eyes.

_She was finally home._


End file.
